Don't Forget Me
by XelixAhture
Summary: She can save a sniper from himself. She can save a wasteland from the Legion. But, she can't seem to save herself. Eventual Courier/Boone. Also lots of Vulpes. Adult content.
1. Chapter 1: Wake Me Up

**So I had started this story once before, but I felt like it was going nowhere for such a long time. A reviewer recommended an overhaul and I completely agreed. So here we are with a different version of my story with more character development and more interactions. It's also a lot more organized now too! Also, many thanks Tom-Ato13, for giving me the little push I needed. I really appreciate your honesty and I hope that you are reading this now and let me know how I'm doing with this version of the story! I'm excited for what I have planned and I hope that you guys enjoy! (I'm open to suggestions and also critique, by the way. So please send in either/both!)**

**(Also I changed the point-of-view. Haha.)**

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_I looked into his dark eyes, his face seemingly blank. I desperately searched his face for emotion, any emotions at all, as my own spiraled out of control. The guards stood at his side, not meeting my eyes. All I saw was that moment, frozen like a picture. His lips didn't even seem to move when he talked in that horribly silky, masculine voice of his. I hated him._

_"…must seem like an eighteen-karat run of bad luck…"_

The loud explosion jolted me awake and I lay alert in bed. I felt a horrible ringing in my skull and I let out a loud hiss of pain. My eyes were wide open and the dim room swayed before me as I looked around frantically. A sound of footsteps had me jerking my head in their direction, watching a figure slowly come into focus as my vision blurred and danced about as if my eyes were rolling in my head, loosened from the explosion.

"You're awake." His voice sounded both impressed and relieved at the same time. "Hell of a shot you took," He explained as he sat himself in a chair in front of me. "You've been out for a few days now."

I studied his face, confused. Who was he? Where was I? A shot? Had I been out drunk? I tried sitting upright and my head gave a slight twinge. No. It wasn't that kind of shot. I chided myself for being so stupid as I lightly brushed my injury with my fingertips, feeling stitches mixed with crusted blood and prickles of shaved hair.

"Easy there. Easy," soothed the man. "Why don't you just relax a second? Get your bearings. Let's see what the damage is," He muttered, the last part seeming to be mostly to himself. "How about your name? Can you tell me your name?"

"My name?" My voice came out a croak. I cleared my throat and tried a second time, pleased when my voice came out stronger.

"That's right," he answered. "Tell me your name."

"Its..." My mind couldn't fish anything up. I hesitated, not being able to identify any string of letters to my identity. I blurted the first name that came to mind, just to satisfy him. I didn't even know if it was a real name.

He chuckled lightly, his voice soft and kind. "Well, that's not what I'd have picked for you, but if that's your name, that's your name. I'm doc Mitchell. Welcome to Good Springs." His warm attitude made me like him instantly.

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The sun outside was blinding and my head didn't thank me one bit for not wearing sunglasses. I made a note to acquire some as I stepped down the hill that the Doc Mitchel's house sat atop.

I got a few yards from the house and stopped. I scanned the area. There were houses lined with broken down fences and some strange animals ambled about grazing on the sparse vegetation. Several settlers moved about casually, tending to their dying crops and checking on their livestock. A few of them cast surprised glances at me.

A light wind was tossing my jet black hair about. I'd used the bathroom in Doc Mitchel's house, (at least I still remembered how to do _that_) and had caught sight of my face for the first time. I had dark, arched eyebrows with angular, slanted eyes and my jaw contradicted my features with its square outline. My face was some mix match of different features, or so it seemed to me. The whole thing was topped off with a mess of black pin straight hair, poofed out at the roots by nature's way of creating extreme, unmanageable volume.

I sighed, tugging on the locks, feeling sweat bead up on the back of my neck already. I'd have to cut it off sometime. I already had a shaved patch by my temple where the Doc had to get better access to my wound. I briefly pondered what sort of hair style I could make out of it when I realized that it was such a trivial thought. I focused instead on finding a place in the shade to sit.

I uprooted my feet from their spot in the Doc's yard and made my way towards the only two brown buildings that I could see. I noticed that they both had signs on the front, and for some reason that made me assume that they were public buildings, inviting people in with their brief words of advertisement painted or built on their fronts. The first building I came to was called the Goodsprings General Store. I noticed a drop box labeled "Mojave Express" and let my fingers wander over it's flaking blue paint. I took a peek inside and was greeted with nothing. Biting my lip, I glanced about and made my way to the next place. For some reason it sounded more inviting. The Prospector Saloon. I didn't know how I knew it, but I figured that stores typically didn't accept loiterers as easily as a saloon. Even though business was business to both types. I picked at a loose thread on my armor and fidgeted as I rounded the corner of the saloon and stepped up onto the deck.

I didn't even need to enter the saloon to find myself a place to sit. Tucked under an overhanging porch, a few chairs sat lined up neatly against the wall. A man occupied one of them, and I sat myself in a different one, awkwardly fiddling with my new Pipboy. I glanced at the man and he simply nodded a greeting before leaning back in his chair and lazily staring out into the horizon. I found myself put at ease with this non-invasive exchange and I relaxed enough to examine everything I had, from my strange armored 13 jumpsuit to the leather armor that I currently wore, to every detail of the pipboy.

I had no clue where any of it came from, but I tried to make sense of it nonetheless. Especially since my belongings might say something about me.

When I figured out nothing about myself, not even a name, I cradled my head in my hands and began to let myself slip out of denial.

I didn't know who I was.

I had kept making up stories to attempt to soothe my mind but none of them seemed right. Maybe I'd been a Vaut 13 Dweller. Maybe I'd been a tribal and that's why I carried the armor. Maybe I'd just been a courier all my life. How old was I? Did I have a family?

I forced myself to breath evenly and pulled out a dry package of noodles that I had on me from before I was shot. I began nibbling at it, trying to keep myself calm. I stared out at what was in front of me and it didn't bring my hopes up. There was a pile of broken timber scattered where a house once was. I bit my lip, trying not to allow negative thoughts into my mind.

After a surge of irritation at my pitiful state, I began pressing knobs on my pipboy until I found the note-keeper screen and began jotting things down that I did seem to know. _I knew how to..._ I refrained from writing that I knew how to use the bathroom and instead wrote: _I know how to take care of my person._

Thinking as hard as I could, I found a few other things buried in my brain. _I know how to read. I know how to write. The Doc says I'm pretty smart. I understand basic logic. I seem to have common sense. I'm a courier for the Mojave Express (Courier Six to be exact)._

Soon the list again came full circle back to who I was, but I continued it anyway.

_I think I know a little history about the world. I know this is a post apocalyptic world where the majority of the people were saved by vaults or luck. I understand that technology exists for various purposes in various forms such as a robot, this pipboy, or a computer terminal. I understand the value of work and money. I understand basic education and its purposes._

A few minutes later, the document that I had created had grown large enough to lift my spirits some, especially since some of it surprised me. Where had I learned to read anyway? I glanced at the man sitting near me, he didn't seem too concerned as to what I was doing. I waved slightly as I stood up and finally went to enter the saloon.

My pipboy read the time as being 4 in the afternoon, so I didn't expect the saloon to be filled. People didn't typically drink this early in the day, right? I made a quick note of that as well.

When I opened the door in front of me, I was greeted by a sharp bark from a canine and the immediate response from it's owner. "Cheyenne, stay." The woman turned to me, a smile on her face. "Don't worry, she won't bite unless I tell her to." The soft lilt in her voice and the spunky confidence in her voice as she added the last five words made me automatically like her. "I'm Sunny Smiles."

"Hi," I beamed. "I'm Six." This time I remembered the fake name I gave, and it seemed to fit. "Courier Six."

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**Not much happening, but I promise you, there will be lots happening. I'm not sure when I'll update next, but I hope for it to be very soon! Let me know what you think of my courier!**


	2. Chapter 2: I Saved the Life of Ringo

**Hey guys! So this is Chapter 2. Here I introduce Ringooooooo. The chapter title is in reference to a song by Lorne Greene. It's seriously a good song, idk why I like it. I was having such a hard time not singing the song every time I typed his fucking name. Haha. But in all seriousness. He's seriously really cool even though he's such a brief character. Leave me alone. There's also more character development here too with Six and her weird quirks. And for the Boone fans, he's set to come up in chapter 5 or 6. Maaaaaybe even 7, depending on how much I squish into these next chapters. But don't worry, getting him into the story is one of my top priorities!**

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I swept my hair back out of my face as I made my way towards the gas station for the night. I had told Ringo that he had to share with me whether he wanted to or not. I told him that since I was working in the town and he was just lurking in the town, it was only fair. He didn't really argue, and he seemed to like my attitude. So far we got along pretty well.

I chose the gas station because no one was really using it, except for a temporary hide out. However, after that it'd be empty again anyway. It was better than mooching off of someone else.

I had found ways to make my own money and help out around the town. People were starting to warm up to me pretty quickly. I spent my mornings with Sunny, making our rounds: hunting, gathering, stuff like that. She usually got miffed when I'd stop every so often to pick up random junk to sell. Apparently prospecting was just in my nature. When I seen things that looked somewhat valuable, I had to take them with me, just to sell. I'd even found a large duffel bag to heft my loot around.

After I was done with my morning scavenging, I typically made my way to Doc Mitchell's place to help out with any patients that he had, or just cleaning up his place. I didn't have the caps to repay him properly, so I helped out whenever I could, learning some useful medical skills along the way. So far most of it was just for shallow injuries, nothing serious. There were no bullet wounds, just bites from geckos. Those things only pissed me off as they seemed to run wherever I went with their mouths agape, as if they were ready to bite me and happy about it.

In my evenings, I escorted a herd of Bighorners to the water source for an old lady who was getting too weary to do it herself. I had to shoot down geckos to keep them from spooking the younger Bighorners, but there were a couple of the animals that would take care of themselves, which made this easy work. Besides, the Bighorners were gentle and made wonderful friends. They didn't judge me, they didn't tease me, they never questioned my behavior and they never shot me in the head. I smiled at my thoughts. They made perfect friends.

I had just gotten back from walking them home to their pen. My payment for helping was always a nice warm meal that the old lady cooked for me. I had it set here in this little town. I had everything I needed: a place to sleep, one meal guaranteed every day, company, and hobbies that kept me occupied. I had found a nice little place to settle down in. For some reason, I didn't really see any reason to leave anywhere. I was fine sticking around here.

I was yanked out of my thoughts by a loud, harsh voice.

"Hey, I just thought that I ought to tell you," Joe Cobb sneered from behind me. "That I know that you're keeping Ringo in that gas station of yours."

I turned to look him dead in the eye. He had two other men with him. I figured that Ringo would help out if he seen me getting shot from the window and that boosted my confidence. "Actually," I countered, trying to put on my best Trudy-attitude. "This is just my home."

"I know he's in there. And if you don't want me to blow this place sky high, you're going to hand him over."

"Well, I can't, because he's not in there." I crossed one arm over my stomach and fiddled with my hair with my free hand.

"I'm not leaving until I'm sure." He jerked his head towards the station and his lackeys tried to circle around me as if to enter.

I pulled my gun out. "No," I growled clicking off the safety for effect. The two other men with Cobb gave each other looks. "You can't just walk into my home because you feel like you want to. You don't own this place."

"Now that tells me that Ringo really is inside." Cobb had started to piss me off by now with his low, forceful voice, loud despite how close he was to me.

"No, this tells you that you weren't invited into my home and I don't want you in at all." His face morphed into an even more angry expression. "You'd break shit or steal shit. You're not welcome in my home, especially with the way you treat me and this town."

This time all three men gave each other looks and then their eyes were on me again.

I aimed the rifle at Cobb's head. "Get out of my yard."

Cobb stared at me for a hesitating moment and then narrowed his eyes. "Let's go. I'm not going to waste my time with this slut."

They turned to leave and I sighed, relieved that I didn't have to shoot anyone.

Lowering my rifle, I turned and opened the door.

Ringo was sitting behind a shelf with his pistol at the ready. I grinned and waved my hand at him, letting him know that everything was okay. He lowered his pistol and let out a sigh of relief, his head sagging on his shoulders. "I was worried that they'd shoot you."

"Then why didn't you come out to save me?" I asked with wide mock-horror-filled eyes.

Stunned, his mouth hung open for a second and after a long pause he shrugged and looked away.

I punched him in the shoulder. "Ass."

He gave me another stunned look and I let out a bubbly stream of giggles.

He chuckled, not sure how to respond. "So how was your day?"

I shrugged as I made my way behind the counter to where our beds were. "Uneventful. Geckos tried to get the calves, but I shot them. You know."

I stashed my scavenged treasures in the safe and peeled off the top layer of my armor.

I stood in only my tanktop and leggings. "Wait… do you think I should have left that on? In case Cobb's waiting out there?"

"You're going out?" Ringo placed a hand on the counter and leaned against it.

I glanced at his suspenders for some reason. Would I look good in suspenders? I gave him a smile. "I might go out. I'd hoped to go visit Sunny."

"You see her a few times every day." He stated, incredulously.

I shrugged. "If you got out every now and then, you could hang out with us."

He laughed. "I'm not going to leave too often. Last thing I need is to be sniped for going for a drink."

I smiled, shrugging again.

"You should be careful too. If he thinks you're hiding me…"

I nodded. "What are you going to do anyway?" I placed my hands on the edge of the counter opposite him and leaned on it too. "You can't hide forever. This time he brought others with him. I'm pretty glad he didn't shoot me, but he could have." His eyes darted away from mine. "Other people could get involved."

"I know." The voice he used was low and rather irritated. He stood up straight and took a few steps away.

"I could help you." My voice came out softer than I expected.

He turned to look at me as he leaned his back against one of the shelves. "You and me? I don't think that we'd be much of a match for all of the Powder Gangers."

"I'd bet anything that Sunny would be willing to help." I sat myself on the counter top.

"She has been nicer than most," He muttered. "It's only a matter of time until everyone wants to throw me to the dogs and be rid of me."

"If they want this situation to be over, I'm sure that they'll be willing to help to get it over quicker and to be one-hundred percent sure that the Powder Gangers will never be back to do any more damage." I swung my legs over the counter top, placing my hands on the edge in front of me and leaned forward, spilling my ideas aloud. "I mean, they were threatening Trudy if she didn't hand you over. She told them to get lost. Well, Cobb anyway. Everyone looks up to Trudy…" I jumped off of the counter, landing unsteadily on my feet. "I'm going to the Saloon." I grinned, slinking towards the door.

Ringo stared incredulously at me as I darted out of the gas station and offered a little wave before I left.

My mind seemed to hum with excitement. I had made up my mind and would make my decision happen. For some reason, the even with Cobb seemed mostly forgotten.

I trotted down the hill and made my way towards the saloon.

Getting Trudy's and Sunny's help was easy. Trudy liked me, and she got everyone else together. We would be ready if Cobb showed up again with more men and went through with his previous threats.

Sunny even gave me the idea to convince Chet to hand over some armor.

I exited the Saloon and made my way towards the General Store. But something stopped me.

I looked at the gap between the two buildings. I thought I heard someone talking to me.

"You know kitty, you're really pretty gorgeous," Came the voice. It seemed familiar.

I took a step closer. Who was there? The sky had gotten darker in all the time I had taken talking to the people in the saloon and I couldn't see properly.

The voice seemed to come from everywhere. "What's your name anyway?"

"It's Six," I answered automatically, still walking closer passing the work tools on my way.

"I wish I had met you sooner baby." Then I saw him. He was wearing the same fucking checkered suit and he had the same fucking perfect hair and endearing smile.

"Get the fuck away from me." I backed into the wall of the General Store. I reached for my pistol. I had left it at the gas station…

"You know…" He continued. His approach was slow and measured. His smile was gone and his face had gone stone cold. "It's such a shame. You and I could have had such a better relationship and the like. You're exactly the kind of cat I'd swing with. But…" I felt him slam me against the wall. "You're swinging with House right now." His voice dropped to a growl. "And that's something I can't dig."

And suddenly he was gone.

I collapsed to the ground. Sweat had beaded up on my brow and my breath had become uneven. Had I imagined him? _I think the proper word would be **hallucinated, **Six._ I silently chided myself. I leaned my head against the wall of the building behind me. I had _felt_ him grab me and shove me against the wall. I had felt his breath on my ear. I'd noticed every detail, right down to the way he smelled almost good despite that he had dirt on his suit.

I shivered. Was I having a flashback? Is this where it started? I got up in a rush and scrambled to the main road of town. I took one look back and ran for the gas station.

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**So, Six has a few mood swings and doesn't have an exact grasp on reality since getting shot. Other things too. But, I hope that I'm expressing this concept properly. It took me so long to finish this chapter... Let me know what you guys think! :3**


	3. Chapter 3: Peace Can't Last

**This chapter was so hard to write. I don't know why, but it kept throwing me for a loop. Eventually I had to just sit down and write it. Thankfully though, I had Tom-Ato13 helping me out, quite a bit. I super appreciate it Tom! Anyway, this chapter is a little longer than usual, so enjoy c:**

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_The sun had gone down a little while ago and the sky was fading to a grey-blue. I was walking alone on the main road of Good Springs. It was a tiny town that I'd never visited before. My first impression of it was that it was like every other half-destroyed abandoned settlement I'd come across in my travels. But it wasn't abandoned. And only a couple of the buildings were completely destroyed. I had seen an ad for it along the road. It had said, "Have a Sunny Day in Good Springs." And then someone had drawn graffiti on it too. I hoped that it really was a nice place like it claimed to be. That would make a nice start to this delivery. I just needed to find a place to stay. I decided to try the saloon first._

_I ran my fingers through my thick pony tail and let out a loud breath before I suddenly heard someone._

_"Hey there, doll."_

_I turned to see who the speaker was._

_He was a tall man with smooth skin and dark, carefully styled hair. His eyebrows were raised slightly and he wore a wolfish grin and a checkered suit. His expression made me think he knew something that I didn't._

_"Uh," I offered, chewing on my inner-lip. "Hi… doll." I smiled tentatively._

_He returned my smile "I think you're just the cat I'm looking for." He had an odd way of speaking, but his voice was low and pleasant. Although, I couldn't quite figure out what I liked about it._

_"Meow," I muttered, snickering. I wasn't in the mood to be boring and serious._

_He laughed at my reaction. It was a laugh that was full of surprise, genuine amusement, and charm._

_"I'd make another cat reference, but I can't think of any." I shrugged._

_"Baby, that one was already too much." The grin stayed on his face._

_"Hey, I've got the jokes." I grinned back, looking at my nails, feigning a casual attitude and pretending to gloat._

_"You're definitely not what I expected."_

_"That's why you shouldn't expect anything out of anyone." I was repeating something my mother had told me, but I wasn't good at coming up with responses. "Then they can't disappoint you."_

_"You're not disappointing," He promised. "The circumstances are."_

_"Pardon?" I raised an eyebrow._

_Shaking his head, he stepped closer. I didn't back down, but my cheeks heated. He put an arm around my shoulders and led me to the side of the road, between the saloon and the general store. He sat himself on the work bench after shoving aside all of the tools carelessly. I chose to lean against it instead._

_"So I'm just the cat you're looking for, huh?" I inquired._

_He chuckled. "I think so."_

_"You think so?" I kept up my spunky attitude. It was nice to talk to someone after a long time on the road. I had just gotten into town, so I hadn't had the chance until now. I didn't want to spoil the pleasant conversation, but I asked anyway, "Why? What do you want from me?"_

_He shrugged and hesitated for a moment before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up. "You want one babe?"_

_I shook my head. I hated the grating feeling of smoke into my lungs. "I don't smoke. But thanks." I had the feeling that this meeting was intended, but I just waited for him to explain himself, rather than being demanding._

_"You ever been to the Strip?" He asked, trying to make pleasant conversation._

_I shook my head. "I was excited to go there soon though. I've got a job there."_

_He nodded as if he already knew this. Not everything there is as great as it sounds. And some of the people from there aren't the greatest either."_

_"Where are you from?"_

_"The Strip."_

_We both smiled._

The sun was flitting through the half-boarded up windows of the gas station. The rays fell gently onto my eyelids and coaxed me awake. My body felt almost numb, and I didn't want to move at first. My dream was still playing in my head and I kept hearing Benny's laugh. I kept hearing how genuine it sounded and how he seemed to be almost sincere while talking with me. It seemed so real. Just like last night's vision in the ally.

I pondered it for a little while longer before blinking my eyes hard and sitting up. It was just a dream. My mind's way of telling me that I wish it hadn't happened. Of course it had seemed real, it was a dream. Even when you start flying, you still think it's real until you wake up and know better.

I sighed.

I was sleeping in my usual spot behind the counter and out of sight of the door. Ringo had slept here at first, but we traded eventually. I think it was because he was somewhat sexist and thought that a woman should be protected and it was his job to make sure of it. I rolled my eyes.

He was laying a little ways away, tucked in the back corner between the last row of shelves and the far right wall. We were both out of immediate sight to anyone who might enter the station while we slept. Thankfully no one had.

It seemed like it should be odd, staying with a man I barely knew. I shouldn't be so easy to trust after what Benny did. But it's not like everyone did that sort of thing. I stretched and yawned, waking myself up further. I slid out from under the blanket.

If I lived in fear, would it even be worth it to live?

I bit my lip and stood up. I knew I was afraid. Not of Ringo or other strangers, but of dying. I could have lost everything. No one knows exactly why they want to live; it's just something that we want. For the most part. I definitely knew that I wanted to stay alive to be happy, at least.

I shook my head. My thoughts were confused enough. No sense in complicating them further.

Slipping on my boots, I glanced at Ringo's sleeping form and left the gas station.

The sun outside was a lot harsher than I had anticipated, and I scrunched my eyes shut, waiting for my pupils to adjust.

I made my way to Doc Mitchell's place and politely knocked on the door.

He answered after a moment and upon seeing me, smiled and stepped aside for me to enter after a casual greeting.

"How're you doing Doc?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as they were forced to adjust again, this time to the dim electrical light that the Doc used to illuminate his house.

"Oh, alright. No one's come in hurt yet, so I've had a mostly quiet morning."

I nodded, my mind a little impatient for formalities. I inhaled and started it off with a simple phrase. "I wanted to ask you a few things, Doc."

"Let's go into the other room, my legs ain't what they used to be."

I followed him and we sat on the sofa, like we had when I'd first woken up. I nibbled on my nail.

"What was it that you wanted to ask?" He lit up a cigarette. It was somewhat ironic, considering he was a doctor.

"I wanted to ask…" I wasn't sure what I wanted to ask. The dream about Benny and the vision about him the night before confused me. I wanted to know about them, but I didn't know how to say it. "Could you tell me about head injuries? What they could do to people?"

"Well," He said slowly and thoughtfully. "When they don't kill people, they could cause some serious damage. Someone might not be able to think clearly. They might lose some memories. They could lose some thought processes or the ability to connect their thoughts clearly with their body or voice. Sometimes they get their senses confused. It's never very clear. The brain controls everything. There's no telling what could go wrong. But the brain is also an amazing thing and has many ways of repairing itself. Is there something bothering you?"

I nodded, still biting my nail. "I thought… I thought I seen Benny last night. Except, I think it was from the night that he shot me. It was like a vision. It was so clear. And then I had a dream about that night again last night. Except, it was from when we first met here, before he shot me."

"I'd say that it's just from the stress of the event. You don't know yet how to comprehend what happened, and you're brain's having trouble making sense of it. I know you're not loose in the head, so I'd say it's just something that you need to work out and give it time."

I nodded. Those weren't the answers that I was looking for. Something about the vision seemed wrong.

Suddenly someone knocked on the Doc's door and then flung it open.

We both jumped in surprise.

"Six?!" Someone called, stomping down the hall. "The Powder Gangers are coming. We've got to get ready."

"How many are there?" I demanded, standing up.

It was one of the settlers. A teenage boy I didn't know well. "I don't know. A lot."

I cast a look at the Doc and waved before running outside. The sun hit me hard again but I ignored it. "Where's Ringo?"

"Still in the gas station."

"Alright. I have to go get my gun anyway." The kid nodded and took off running.

I made my own way towards the gas station, cursing myself for forgetting my gun for the second time in twenty four hours. I burst into the station, causing Ringo to cry in surprise. I darted for my gear behind the counter and began tugging on my armor. I should have left that on too.

"The Powder Gangers are on their way," I panted as I fumbled with my armor.

I heard Ringo scramble up. I guessed that I had awakened him. My heart pounded as I shoved bullets into my pocket, dropping some onto the floor as I did so. When I was finished, I turned and met Ringo's eyes. He clicked the safety off of his gun calmly and the gesture soothed me a little. I took a deep breath.

"Let's go."

Outside, the shooting had already started. I heard each shot ring out as if it was right next to me. My mind kept supplying me with images of Benny pointing his gun at me and each gunshot I heard made me cringe. I aimed my revolver at one of the Powder Gangers. I'd never killed a person before. I hesitated. They fell.

Someone else had hit them and I'd been useless. I gulped and bounded down the hill and closer to the fray. I glanced beside me to see Ringo racing ahead of me, firing while running, with all the confidence and bravado that I wish I felt. I skidded to a stop and tried a different approach. I stopped behind a sign post and crouched on one knee. Joe Cobb was still alive, wearing a bullet proof vest and reloading his gun behind a large boulder. I sucked in a breath and aimed. I squeezed the trigger. He fell. I imagined a gecko falling.

I pointed my gun to another target, a man without a shirt who was holding a club above his head, running towards the townsfolk. He had no armor. He didn't even have a long distance weapon. He was practically defenseless. I pressed my lips together and took aim. Then I did something stupid. I closed my eyes and fired. I opened them again. The man was on the ground and I tried to pretend that it wasn't me who'd shot him. I attempted to find another target but they fell right as I locked my eyes on them.

There were only two more men. Both of them were hiding behind a cluster of boulders, glancing frantically about. I aimed.

I couldn't do it. They weren't even trying to attack. They were hiding. Another shot sounded. Then another.

I watched as both of them hit the ground and I felt my stomach clench.

Sunny lowered her gun once as she was sure the two men were dead. She backed away from the rock cluster and looked around.

Everyone seemed to have this lost look on their face, as if the end of the battle surprised them.

I stood, my legs tingling a little. I raked my eyes over the road. There was Cobb, a pool of blood by his head. There was the other man that I had shot, several feet away from the actual battle. There was never any point in him participating. He had no armor, no weapon that could challenge a gun, and no chance of survival. I forced my eyes away from him and noted the other bodies lying around. None of them were any that I recognized.

My gaze found Ringo, Sunny again, Trudy, a few farmers I didn't really know, and even Cheyenne. It looked like everyone was okay.

I made my way unsteadily over to everyone else.

"Well, if it isn't the sniper," Trudy greeted me, her voice completely normal and steady. "I saw you stop a ways away and it worried me a little. Then I saw you take out Cobb. That was some nice shooting."

I offered a thin-lipped smile. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think so," Sunny answered me, looking around. "Ringo got hit in the arm though. You might want to take a look at it."

I nodded once and put my revolver back on my belt. Then I made my way to where Ringo was sitting in the dust, cradling his arm.

He looked up and grinned at me, his eyes shining. "I can't believe it. We did it."

"Yay," I muttered. "We took away people's lives."

"You okay?" He asked with his excitement fading.

"I dunno. It's different killing geckos." I kneeled beside him, pulling up his sleeve to expose the wound.

"You've never killed anyone before?"

I shrugged.

"When you're out in the wasteland, you have to protect yourself."

"But it's not defense when they only have a bat and no armor while we've all got armor and guns." The wound was shallow but I still didn't have any proper tools with me. The bullet was still embedded into the skin, just barely, but it had to come out.

"Six," He argued. "They attacked us."

"Because they were told to. Because they had to." I inspected the wound, twisting his arm to get a better look, not realizing that I should be more careful.

He grunted in pain, gritting his teeth.

"Sorry," I muttered. I then pulled out my knife and gently maneuvered the bullet with the blade and my fingers until I could catch the bullet at the right angle and finally pry it out.

Ringo let out a breath. "Shit." The bullet made a quiet thump as it landed in the dirt.

"You should go rinse this and tie a bandage around it as tight as you can stand. It's not too serious though."

He nodded, examining the shallow hole with his own eyes. "It hurts. And you didn't help much with that bit."

I shrugged. "I've never treated bullet wounds."

"Thanks." He stood up and made his way into the saloon.

I rose to my own feet and watched as the town began dragging the bodies away. I briefly wondered what they were going to do with them before I heard Benny behind me from between the saloon and the general store again.

"That's something I can't dig."

For once I agreed with him. I didn't glance towards the ally, in case my brain had created an image of him standing there. Instead I turned and made my way towards the gas station, my heart still pounding in my chest from an overdose of adrenaline and emotion. None of this made sense to me, but I couldn't be around everyone else right now. This was my idea. It hadn't seemed like such a bad one at the time, but now… What had I done?

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4: Not My Kind of Town

**So, I managed to write something. Not sure how I feel about this chapter though. But it's finally time to say goodbye to Good Springs.**

**Thanks go to Tom-ato, of course. c:**

* * *

Everyone was so cheery that I just… I couldn't handle it. There were no casualties on our side, somehow. But we had outright killed everyone of the other side. We had overpowered, outnumbered, and outgunned them. Of course we had won.

I angrily punched keys into my pipboy, recording my journal.

"Hey," Ringo called from the doorway. I had settled myself in a corner of the saloon. Everyone around me was getting drunk and just being happy about what had happened. "Are you going to join us? We're all celebrating. Why aren't you?"

I shrugged one shoulder, unsure if he even saw the gesture.

"Well?" Apparently he hadn't.

"Yeah," I grunted, pulling myself to my feet. "I'm coming." I was still in my armor. I felt a little cautious and I refused to take it off. Maybe I was being childish.

We walked into the open room of the saloon where a few people were dancing to the juke box. We stopped and leaned against the wall and shared an awkward silence. Finally, "Are you alright?"

I shrugged.

"You're an open book."

"Then read me. If you don't need to ask me…"

"You're clearly upset. Glum."

I shrugged. "Those men weren't even armed. They were people for crying out loud."

"You've never killed anyone before?"

"Fuck if I know." I was letting my temper taint my already sour attitude.

"Right. No memories. You know, sometimes it's hard to tell that you don't have any memories. You function so normally."

"Thanks," I mumbled, trying to calm myself down.

"Even though you've forgotten everything, you should still have the same attitudes, right? I mean, you're still the same person, right?"

I shrugged again.

"You don't seem like you've taken much damage from those bullets, you know. And I mean your head injury. Not the fight with the Powder Gangers."

I bit my lip.

Someone laughed loudly.

Trudy was holding a serving tray and upon seeing me smiled and held up a finger signaling that she wanted me to wait just a second. For what, I had no idea. Probably wanted to talk to me. She made her way back to the other room.

"You know," Ringo began in response to my uncertainties. "I don't think that it's just human nature. The Mojave does things to people. We're forced to defend ourselves and it's usually a fight to the death. People fight off monstrous beasts, overgrown bugs, and everything in between. All this fighting makes people desperate to survive. We are scarce on resources and so we do what comes naturally to us, we fight. We become greedy. It's always been human nature. Granted, when people were better off before the war, we didn't kill _as_ much."

"You're wrong. There were plenty of minor wars back then." Where had I learned that?

"Maybe you're right. But a lot more people survived."

"I guess then we're getting onto a better track…" Trudy had returned and handed me a drink.

"First round's on me," She announced. Then someone at a table nearby broke a glass. "Hey! You gotta pay for that!" She made her way to the table hurriedly.

I sighed, thankful for the distraction. I didn't actually feel like making small talk or talking about the fight. But Ringo wasn't holding back.

"We are getting on a better track," Ringo continued. "There are still plenty of people dying, but look. We've got a whole town. In order to keep the good alive, the good have to kill. Those who aren't bettering themselves… Well, they fight, so we have to also. I know you're a good person. So, do me a favor. Keep fighting. And stay alive. Please." He reached over and grasped my hand in his own. His hands were rough and calloused. Mine were soft. Had I never done a hard day's work in my life? "There is a difference to killing and murdering however, and I know that you'll fight for all the right reasons. I don't need to worry about senseless killing. Not with you." He offered me a wide smile.

I held his eyes for a heartbeat.

Suddenly I was dripping wet and I felt a liquid seeping into my armor. I gasped. Someone had tripped and spilled their drink on me. I sat there in a few moments of shock, my heart pounding faster.

"What's the idea?" I spat finally.

The boy who'd spilled on me put his arms up, as if surrendering. "I'm sorry!"

I paused and suddenly stretched my features into a wicked grin.

The boy stared confused for a bit, then offered a few chuckles.

I met Ringo's eyes and he was grinning at me. I grinned back.

Then I darted after the boy, my own drink in hand. Pay back was a bitch.

* * *

That night I walked myself to the gas station after showering at Doc Mitchell's. The night was cool and a light breeze tossed my wet hair about. I entered the gas station to find it completely dark. I turned on the lamp and looked around for Ringo. He wasn't here.

He most likely was still at the saloon. Maybe he'd found a pretty girl and… I shuddered at the idea. I wasn't sure why.

My head was pounding already. Doc said it was because I was drinking and then suddenly stopped. It had turned my mood sour, too. I sucked in a breath and attempted to get comfortable behind the counter.

That's when I noticed a piece of paper placed carefully on my pillow. I tucked myself under the blankets and noted Ringo's messy handwriting.

I stared at the words scrawled in front of me. He was gone. He'd left only this note as a good bye. He didn't want me to get even more upset, so he left for the Crimson Caravan and hoped that I would find him there sometime.

"You didn't want to upset me?!" I spat. Oh, I was definitely going to find him. I'd hunt him down and…

Suddenly I thought of Benny.

I froze.

I could… I could find him. He was still alive, as far as I knew. I pictured his face: the way he angled his head downward when he laughed rather than upward as anyone else would. My heart pounded faster. Out of fear or anticipation, I couldn't tell. I clenched the note and then fished out the delivery order for the platinum chip. Delivery six out of six, given to Courier Six based out of Primm…

My breath sped up.

_"Truth is, the game was rigged from the start."_

Something so simple had turned so dangerous. This was bigger than just me. I laid down and sucked in a breath, turning on my side and curling my legs up to my chest.

I thought about Benny for a long time. My mind drifted from him to Ringo and my life in Good Springs before sleep finally took me.

* * *

I dreamt of Benny again, as I expected. He had that strange way of talking and a different attitude than most people I'd met. He was intriguing. He made me laugh.

I woke up the next morning with a light headache. My throat felt dry and my freshly washed yet wet hair had twisted around my face. It was hot under my blankets as the sun had risen to warm the Mojave.

I'd read somewhere that the Mojave was near the equator and that meant that it was summer all year 'round and it was naturally warmer than other places.

I pressed my lips together. Why was I thinking about these things?

I pulled myself up and stood in place, a little dazed at first. I wasn't sure what to do. Ringo was gone. There was only me alone in this gas station. I'd be herding the Bighorners all day, shooting geckos. It was simple, and it was easy. But I couldn't stay when I had so many questions. I would definitely be back, but right now…

I began packing my things. Time to go.


	5. Chapter 5: In My Head

**This isn't written in a present, active way. I hope that's okay. I haven't been up to writing lately, and I've been focusing more on getting a promotion at work, putting all of my efforts into pleasing the boss. I sound like a suck up, but my work is really based on favoritism. It sucks.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I plan to post more soon. I'm going to start writing it right now, actually. Comments and review welcome. I'm sorry for the wait. So sorry in fact, that I'm posting this unedited. I'll fix any mistakes later, because I hate editing secretly.**

* * *

"Do you think that it's worth it to keep it?" I asked ED-E as I lifted a handful of empty energy cells.

He let out a echoing buzz that could have been a "no" or a "why not". The little robot was hard to understand, but I was glad to have the company. Ever since hitting the road, I had spent most of my time alone.

"Well," I continued, setting the ammo back down. "I don't typically use energy weapons." Then I looked at the bot. "Do you need energy cells for your lasers?"

He swiveled his body as if shaking his head and gave a high pitched whistle.

I nodded and shrugged, hefting my pack back on with my new loot stuffed into it. I'd become quite the hoarder lately and ED-E's storage unite was getting fuller and fuller. I cast a guilty look at him before heading back out.

We were on our way to Novac.

After leaving Good Springs, I had wandered to Primm in hopes of finding answers at the Mojave Express office. The manager hadn't recognized me. He was a friendly enough man named Johnson Nash. He had told me about my order and even told me about someone who might know me.

A man. Seemingly not the friendliest, he had switched tasks with me and had let me carry the package that got me shot. Was he responsible for my incident? Had he set it up? If I was hunting down Benny, I should find him as well. Shouldn't I?

I inquired Nash about what the man had looked like, but didn't get a very descriptive answer.

I kicked a pebble that was in my way and ED-E buzzed comfortingly beside me.

I returned to my thoughts.

Things in Primm hadn't been good and before I even entered the town, I had to take care of things. I acted as a courier, ironically and had delivered a message all the way to the Mojave Outpost in the far south. Lieutenant Hays needed reinforcements to take out the convicts and take back the town.

After that, Sergeant McGee had taken over as sheriff. I found it odd that the NCR felt it necessary to appoint a sheriff like that, but I didn't question it too much.

McGee was cute. I even tried flirting a little, but he gave me the cold shoulder and I resorted to teasing him to get reactions out of him.

I blushed at the memory. It was embarrassing that I had even tried. But it was over, and I could forget it mostly.

I tried to focus on the task at hand. I was headed past a dry lake bed that was infested with ants. They mostly ignored me, with a few curious attempts to approach me being thwarted by ED-E and I.

The road that I was on led to Nipton and eventually, Novac. Nash had informed me of a find of Deputy Beagle's. The deputy had overheard Benny and his gang talking about heading to Novac. So that's where I was headed.

I was thankful that Nash had let me keep ED-E after I had fixed him up. He was a pretty good guardian angle, watching my back while I slept and scouting ahead for me for danger when I asked him to.

He hadn't been able to accompany me to the Mojave Outpost unfortunately, and I had received a few injuries from some of the ants that lurked beside the rusting husks of cars under the disintegrated bridge. I was okay, a few stimpacks giving my body the nutrients it needed to heal itself rapidly.

At the outpost, I had met a sniper who wanted me to head to Nipton. She said that she had seen smoke rising from the city and was concerned. I agreed to check on the city and then had headed to the bar for the night.

There, I had met an interesting caravan owner named Cass. She was angry, drunk, and strangely endearing. She talked to me about Benny and helped me to figure out a little more about my resolve. I still didn't know what I was going to do when I found him. Mostly I wanted to know why. Cass thought that I should kill him. Just like Sunny had.

I thought about my goodbye to her. Sunny had been a little sad to see me go. She had been used to our rounds, taking care of the geckos. She had enjoyed the company. She had told me that that's why she took Cheyanne with her.

She was a good friend though and didn't try to make me stay. She said that it was only a matter of time. I was a courier and wandering must have been in my nature for me to have chosen that line of work. She told me to give Benny hell and make sure that I didn't get shot by him. I remember rolling my eyes at that and elbowing her side as we shared a drink before I left.

I felt like I had been stalling a little, since I had gone out of my way to help Primm. I wasn't sure why, but I was uncertain. Benny had tried to kill me. How should I feel? All I could remember was meeting his friendly face. In a way that should make me upset that he had pulled a gun on me. But... Most victims that got shot like that never woke up. Most of them wouldn't know who their attacker was.

Sunny had admitted to me that she wouldn't know what to do in my situation. She said that she might have gotten revenge right away and then she had accused me of being too gentle.

I was kind of gentle. I was quiet, friendly. I liked to be sarcastic and tease people to make them laugh. I liked helping people. But I didn't seem to get too close to too many people. I kept to myself, even around Sunny and Ringo.

I bit my lip. Ringo had just taken off like that... It infuriated me. Good Springs had never been his home, and he had never intended to stay. But he had stayed while I was there and it was hard to see him go. Maybe I'd hunt him down too. Ass.

I snorted and rolled my neck.

Just then, ED-E played his battle tune and charged ahead. My eyes widened as I noticed a group of raiders or whatever charging towards me. I pulled out my pistol and turned to find cover behind an old billboard.

I fired, aiming for the torsos of the raiders. I wasn't that great of a shot and head shots were almost impossible for me. My hands shook too much.

I felt a bullet hit the post that I was behind.

I was lucky, most of the shots were aimed at ED-E since he was in the throng of people, shooting away like a tiny killing machine.

I squeezed off a few more bullets and missed only once. Nodding in approval, I aimed for another that was swinging a knife at my bot.

I felt a stinging in my arm.

"Shit!" I hissed, dropping my gun as the pain registered. I pursed my lips, sinking my teeth into the inner flesh of my mouth.

"Got her," screeched one of the women.

I noticed someone charging for me, a pipe in hand.

"Fuck," I whispered. No time to pick up my pistol.

They swung at me and I ducked.

I'd never had to fight like this before.

I jumped back as she tried to jab the end of the pipe into my stomach.

ED-E zapped her once with a laser, but I heard a sickening thwang as someone took him down with a rock. I watched in stunned horror as he fell to the ground. The woman hit me in the shoulder.

She swung again but I blocked the blow, gripping the pipe and trying to force it from her hands. I kicked at her arms and pushed myself forward. She was much smaller than me and I jammed my foot into her gut forcefully. She loosened her grip on the pipe and I yanked it from her hands, swinging it once at her head and feeling her drop with a satisfying crack.

The remaining two men charged at me. One with a crowbar and the other with a rifle. I ran for my gun, hoping that he was a lousy shot. I heard the boom of the shotgun as it went off. Then again.

_Hard to hit a moving target, _I thought, ducking behind the sign post again. I sucked in a breath, taking a glance at my arm. It looked pretty bad. Hurt too. I bit my lip and spun around the corner of the post and fired, determined to survive. I managed to hit his stomach once, putting him off guard. I fired again, this time hitting him in the chest.

He fell.

The other man howled in outrage and I quickly took him out as he tried to rush me.

I lowered my arms slowly, clicking the safety on and sheathing my gun.

It took me a bit to look around and make sure that there were no more enemies lurking in the crumbling remains of whatever building had been here. After that, I settled myself down and took care of my wound and then checked on ED-E. He needed parts. Some of his wiring had been severed and his battery had been cracked. Sighing, I emptied out the unnecessary items from his cargo space and strapped him to my pack.

I found myself suddenly tired as I continued down the road to Nipton. But I kept my feet moving and pushed ahead towards my goal.


	6. Chapter 6: Who We Are

I was walking tipped forward, trying to balance the bulky robot that was strapped to my pack. It was uncomfortable, but there was no way I was leaving him behind. I chuckled at my loyalty to a bit of scrap metal but then I reminded myself that he had saved my life countless times. Of course I was attached.

As my mind drifted, I considered what Ghost had told me. She hadn't heard from Nipton in a while and there was smoke coming from that direction. I noted that there was a little smoke wafting above the town, but I hoped that I wouldn't run into too much trouble. Especially with ED-E out for the count.

Suddenly I wondered why I had agreed to check on the town. What if I ran into something really really bad? I shook my head to clear my mind when my thoughts were scattered anyway by a man loping towards me at full speed.

He wore a huge grin on his face ant his eyes were wild, if not manic.

"Can you smell that air! Holy shit!" He gasped, chuckling a little.

I just stared, my eyes saucers.

He paused to catch his breath, still letting out quiet laughs.

"Are you okay?" I asked, thinking that he _had _to be on something.

"Yeah," he said in a 'duh' tone of voice. "You're looking at the first place winner of the lottery! Whoo!"

I flinched as his voice rose suddenly in a shriek of joy. "Which lottery? How much did you win?" I took a half step back.

"What are you stupid?" I glared. "The only lottery that matters."

"Uh, right." I side stepped around him. "My mistake." I drifted past him, looking over my shoulder and offering a tiny wave with my thumbs still hooked around the straps of my bag.

"Later!" He waved as if he was full of cocky energy and then took off running again, that same strange grin on his face.

I stared after him with my jaw clenched uncomfortably before turning back around and finally taking in the sight of the town.

Everything was charred. Windows were smashed and when I looked down the road, I seen several men lined up, hooting and hollering in excitement along rows of crucified people.

My thoughts ground to a halt as I processed what was before me.

I took a step back, my mind reeling.

Then I met eyes with a man in a fox hat standing at the door of what I figured was the Town Hall. He was wearing sunglasses, but I could feel his eyes on me and see his head turned in my direction. I cautiously took a few steps forward, anger boiling in my chest.

I heart a weak groan from a man that had been strung up to my left. A cold chill ran through me when I realized he was still alive.

I pulled out my pistol and looked the man with the fox hat and aimed. At the crucified man.

I put a bullet through his head and then moved onto the next victim. I continued with this until I was sure that they were all dead and unable to suffer further.

I strode forwards towards the man and noticed the others had stopped their hooting and were all staring at me.

I raised my chin and met their gazes coldly. Anyone capable of this was definitely beneath me.

I finally stopped in front of what I figured was their leader. I didn't say anything, just stared, waiting to hear his reaction to my behavior.

"Ave," He muttered softly.

"Owie?" I furrowed my brows bewildered and amused simultaneously.

"It's a Latin greeting," He responded frostily.

"Well owie to you too," I grunted, folding my arms over my chest. "What the hell happened here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He lifted his hands in a sweeping gesture as if showing me some beautiful landscape.

"Yeah. The good ol' fashioned torture and slaughter combination."

I expected him to slap me, stab me, or shoot me, however, I was surprised when he chuckled lightly. "This town harbored NCR citizens and soldiers. They were tucked safely away for the night helping themselves to the town's whores. Then I offered them a cash reward to help set a trap for the NCR and they obliged. Only when it was too late did they realize that they were ensnared in the trap as well."

"Hmm," I responded. "So they were assholes."

He didn't respond.

"It doesn't make you any better, however."

He took a step forward and grabbed me by the hair.

I knew I should be afraid. I knew I shouldn't have prodded him, but something in me didn't want to let go. I had given into impulse even as I knew it was wrong and I had foolishly let myself be controlled by emotion. Now I began to feel some fear.

He pulled off his sunglasses and jerked my head back so that I was forced to meet his eyes. A satisfied smirk crossed his face as he noted my changed expression. "Don't worry," He purred. "I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's actually useful that you happened by." He jerked on my hair and gripped my shoulder, forcing me into a kneeling position.

I glared up at him.

"The one man I set free, he's a coward. True he might run to the NCR, but part of me doubts that he will live to make it that far. I don't have much faith in his survival abilities. I need someone to tell everyone of what happened here."

"That's where I come in," I ground out, my scalp aching from where he gripped my hair.

"Indeed. It would be healthy for you to agree to tell the tale of what you saw here." Suddenly he jerked me upright and dragged me towards the crucified bodies. "Take in everything that you see. These people were nothing more than profligate whores and they paid the price. They knew nothing of loyalty. When I began drawing lottery tickets, they stood by while their loved ones were dragged away in hopes that their tickets would save them. They outnumbered us. Yet they only cared selfishly for their own individual survival." He suddenly let go of my hair and gave me a rough shove.

I landed hard and got a mouthful of dirt. I immediately scrambled to my feet and faced him again, feeling blood trickle down my chin where I had bitten my lip.

"Unless you want to be hunted down to share their fate, I suggest you do as we ask."

I rubbed the blood from my chin. "Yeah, sure."

He glared at me.

"I'll do it, okay?"

"Good," His voice came out in a smooth purr that sounded almost seductive.

I shivered at the effect it had on me, feeling uncomfortable that he could make me feel anything other than revulsion.

"I hope we get to meet again," He cooed, running a hand gently down my cheek and letting his fingers trail over the flesh of my neck and over my shoulder towards my breast.

My face heating, I took a step back, fists clenched.

"I bid you vale."

"Yeah, whatever," I grunted, feeling my temple throb near where I had been shot.


	7. Chapter 7: Been Waiting

**And, now for Novac. I'm writing to keep my mind occupied, so hopefully I'll be able to write more, I guess. Enjoy!**

* * *

I made it to Novac by the time the sky had turned purple and everyone was probably asleep. I figured that I'd have to find a nice cozy nook to curl up in next to a rock or something, but to my surprise, there was a motel. And it was open.

I chuckled lightly as I entered the building. "Hi," I beamed, my greeting coming out almost as a sigh of relief.

The woman behind the counter was sweeping. She looked up to meet my eyes and offered a tight lipped smile of her own. "Well hi there. How's it going traveler? Awfully late to be out."

I nodded. "I just wanted to make it here before it got even later." I rubbed the back of my neck in apprehension. "Do you have any rooms available?"

The woman nodded an answered, "I do. One right above this room actually."

"How much?" I smiled and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

She told me the price and handed me the key as I counted the caps on the counter.

"What's such a young girl like you doing traveling all alone? Not that I'm judging you for anything."

I shrugged. "I'm not... Well. Once as I get my robot fixed up, I won't be alone." I explained to her about how ED-E traveled with me and protected me as well as watching over me while I slept.

"I know nothing beats to feeling of feeling secure at night knowing you've got someone looking over you. That's why I've got a nighttime sniper. I've a daytime sniper too, but nonetheless, it makes everyone feel safer. Especially since everything bad is usually creeping about at night."

I laughed. "Ain't that the truth. But sometimes you find the creepy crawlies in the middle of the day too." I thought of Vulpes and his men doing horrible things to people.

"Our snipers are located at the head of Dinky the Dinosaur. In Dinky's belly is the gift shop, but you can get supplies there too. Cliff runs the place. Be sure to drop by in the morning."

"I _do_ need food. And ammo, and something to read would be nice..." I let out a friendly laugh, happy to just make conversation.

"Good, good." The woman answered awkwardly. We definitely had conflicting personalities. Even though I was trying hard.

"Well," I began, tugging on a lock of my hair. "It was nice to meet you. I need some sleep though." I headed for the door, the key clutched in my hand. "You make sure to take it easy too now, okay?"

She nodded a smile on her cracked lips.

I shut the door behind me, noting the dinosaur directly in front of me. There was a sniper up there, huh?

I took the stairs up to my room and unlocked the door.

As it opened, I looked around, flicking the switch for the light. It was a little cramped, but it was nice. A couch, a bed, a fridge, a stove, a bathroom... I grinned and flopped onto the bed happily. I then rolled onto my side and slipped my arms out of my pack's straps, leaving the pack and ED-E on the bed. After the little robot had been taken out by some gang members, I had to carry him myself, which meant I couldn't keep all the supplies that I had stuffed into his storage unit. I sighed and sat up, unclipping him from my bag.

I then fished around until I found my tools. I worked on the robot until I had fixed everything that I could. He still needed some parts. Maybe I could get those in the morning.

For now, I peeled off my armor. I felt safe inside four walls and a locked door. And Jeanie May was right, I felt safer simply knowing that there was someone watching over the town.

I inspected the bathroom to find towels and I happily took a bath, combed my hair, and put on comfortable clothes for once. I relished the feeling. My pajamas consisted of nothing more than a short black night gown, but it was silky against my skin.

I turned out the lights and laid myself happily onto the first bed I'd ever slept on. Well, aside from the one I'd been on when Doc Mitchell fixed me up. Or before then.

* * *

I would have thought that my comfortable state would have given me good dreams, but I was sadly mistaken.

_Benny spits into the dirt as he gets off of the work bench._

_My smile twitches a little as he steps closer._

_"You know, you don't seem so bad kid..." He reaches his hand towards my face and tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "But you're in the wrong line of work right now..."_

_I furrow my brows at him._

_It seems that he was only buying time as the Khans are back now, blocking both entrances to the alleyway._

_"What?" I ask, incredulous. Just a minute ago we had been making friendly conversation... "What's going-"_

_My words are cut off by his hand around my throat as he slams me against the building._

* * *

Jerking awake, I find myself tangled in the sheets and blankets of an unfamiliar bed. I let out a cry as I try to free myself in the dark. A loud thud echoes in the room as I land on my side, still tangled.

As I fully awaken, I remember where I am and slowly calm down. I wiggle free from my cocoon and stand on uncertain legs.

"No way I'm getting to sleep now," I thought. I stare out the window, trying to guess what time it is. However, to my dismay, it's still night out. I sigh, sitting down on my bed again for a moment.

After the silence starts to creep on me, I stand and pull some pants on and shove my feet into my boots. Exiting the building, I trot down the steps and glance towards the dinosaur. _Staying awake all night alone, _I thought._ The sniper might want some company too. _

I climbed the stairs and hesitantly tried the knob. It was unlocked. I smiled and let myself in.

The inside wasn't too impressive. It just looked like a normal room, a normal store. With everything locked up and no one to guard it. No one except...

I found the stairs to the mouth of the dinosaur and climbed those too. I reached a door at the landing and opened it.

* * *

**I SWEAR I'll write more tomorrow morning.**


	8. Chapter 8: You've Found Me

**Soooo, the last chapter I kinda left you hanging. Sorry about that. I just didn't want to write Boone's debut when I was dead tired and screw it all up.**

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The moment I pulled the door open, I heard movement and a familiar clicking. I blinked in surprise as I was staring down the barrel of a rifle.

"Uh," I stammered nervously. "Hi."

I heard a loud sigh and the gun was lowered. "Dammit. Don't sneak up on me like that." I met his eyes, covered with sunglasses, and I just stared. He had caught me off guard and he was... "What do you want?" He snapped impatiently.

"I heard that there was a sniper's nest up here and that there was a sniper alwa-" He cut me off.

"I think you'd better leave."

I furrowed my brow. "Gods. Is this how you treat everyone around here?" I planted my hands on my hips.

He took off his sunglasses and met my eyes more evenly.

"Wait... You just got into town." He scrutinized me and I squirmed at the attention. "Maybe you shouldn't go. Not yet."

The pleading in his voice caught me off guard. I liked the sound of his voice. He used it well, somehow... I bit my lip. "What do you want?"

"I need someone I can trust," He began, the pleading from his voice completely gone. "You're a stranger, that's a start."

"You only trust strangers?" I snorted out a laugh, trying to cover it up.

"I said it was a start," He spat.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and raised my hands in a defensive gesture. This conversation was starting to give me whiplash.

He lowered his voice. "This town... no one looks me straight in the eyes anymore."

I bit my lip, taking his silence as a cue. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find something for me." A pause as he replaced his sunglasses. "One night, while I was on watch, some legion slavers took my wife. They knew when to come, which rout to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."

"You're trying to find your wife?"

"Carla's dead. I want the son of a bitch who sold her."

"How do you know she's dead for sure?"

"I know, all right? That's all you need to know." I shuddered at the darkness in his voice. He really knew how to use his voice to express whichever emotion he wanted to give off.

I fiddled with a lock of hair that had found its way into my face. "What do I do when I find this person?" If_ I find this person._

The Sniper didn't miss a beat. He already had a plan. Maybe he'd been planning for a long time. He handed me the hat off of his head. It was still warm. "Bring him out in front of the nest when I'm on duty. I work nights. Put on my beret while you're with him so I know it's him. I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself."

I had a gnawing sense of dread. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good. I'll make it worth your while." His voice took on a curt edge and he seemed somewhat relieved. "Oh, and another thing, we shouldn't speak again until this is over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my wife. Best they never know, or the legion will be after me next."

I nodded. "Okay." A pause. "Goodbye."

"Yeah," He said, turning back to his post.

I stood there a moment before turning towards the door and letting myself out. It was still nighttime. Although it was almost five in the morning and the sun would be coming up soon. I decided to journal a little on my pipboy, as I usually did. I had a lot of catching up to do.

Once as I was back in my room, I wrote about the sniper for a little while, making a list of everything that I should do in order to figure out who sold his wife. I should look through their belongings, I should try to sneak bits into the conversation to see if anyone would say anything against the woman...

It wasn't long before the sun had come up, however, I was still tired and I found myself tired once as I had finished my journal entry. Sighing, I clicked off the display on my pipboy and curled up into the fetal position and wrapped myself in the soft blankets. I could get used to sleeping in a bed...

When I woke up, it was past noon and I felt grogginess settle over me like a blanket. I rubbed my bleary eyes and shifted out of my bed and stood. I just stared off into space for a while before I moved to my pack and grabbed my collection of bottle caps. I still had to fix ED-E.

I staggered towards the door before my feet remembered how to carry my weight properly. Once outside, I squinted past the sunlight and gripped the hand rail for security.

Once I made it to the gift shop, I swung the door open and automatically glanced towards the stairwell that led to the sniper nest.

"Manny's up there right now," explained a friendly voice. I looked towards the source and was met by an elderly man cleaning the glass case in which some weapons were displayed.

"Manny?" I asked inquisitively.

"The daytime sniper. Boone's up there at night."

"Yeah. Just last night-" I cut myself off. Boone didn't want me to tell anyone. "Uhm. Just last night Jeanie May mentioned the snipers." I shrugged. "She also mentioned that you could help me get resupplied."

He chuckled. "She's sweet like that. She's always sending travelers my way."

I smiled and nodded.

"If you're a friend of Jeanie May, than you're a friend of mine. And my friends get a discount in my store."

"Oh! Thank you. You really don't have to..."

"No, no. I insist. What can I get you?"

I beamed. "I really need some mechanical parts. And a soda to wake me up a little. Or, do you have any coffee grounds?"

Once as I had all of my supplies together, I paid and had the intention of leaving. However, a thought occurred to me.

"Hey Cliff," I began. "Have you seen anyone with a checkered suit come this way? He was traveling with some Khans. His name's Benny."

Rubbing his stubble, Cliff thought a moment. "I can't say that I have."

"I have."

I turned in surprise at the sound of the new voice.

"But what's someone like you doing looking for people like that?" A tall man wearing a beret just like Boone's approached me.

I opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head.

"I'm going for my break, walk with me."

I followed him.

Once we were outside, the man introduced himself. "I'm Manny."

"Six."

"Now that we're outside... Why are you looking for a bunch of Khans?"

I paused. Could I trust him? "I just really need to talk to Benny. We have unfinished business."

Manny furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "Well, I'd love to help you, but I have problems of my own."

I furrowed my brows as well. "You're not going to tell me where they went?"

"Well... See, I live here. I like this town. It's just, we make our money off of junk that we get from the Reppcon facility that's down the road. But..." We had reached a door which he held open for me. I entered and he followed. "The facility's completely overrun with a bunch of Ghouls that just showed up out of nowhere. We can't make a living as a town if we don't have our major source of supplies anymore."

He flipped on the light and I noticed that his room was a mess. There were blankets on the floor and it looked like someone had spent the night here. Multiple someones.

"Can you help me pick up that matress?" He asked, already taking ahold of one of the corners. I nodded and helped. Had the Khans stayed the night _here_?

"You're saying that you're going to use that information as incentive to get me to clear out the ghouls..." I lifted my chin in a stubborn gesture. "Why can't you do it? You look pretty capable."

"Yeah, but see, I've got my own fish to fry."

"And I don't?"

Manny chuckled. "We both know that I know better than anyone where they were headed. Please throw me a bone here and I'll throw you one."

I rolled my eyes, a faint smile playing on my lips. "Okay you cocky bastard." I let my smile widen.

He chuckled some and began rummaging in his fridge for his lunch most likely. I found it easy to talk to him, somehow. We chatted about his past, his more recent past, my adventures in Good Springs, and Boone.

"You 'used to' be friends?" I asked, scrunching up my face. Manny's break was over and we were back in the dinosaur while he kept watch over the town.

"Yeah, until that wife of his got in the way."

"Carla?"

"Yeah," He snorted. "That one."

"What happened?"

"Well, we were always getting into disagreements. She wanted to take Boone back to the strip after I brought my best friend to my home to share my dream with me and here was this woman who was too good for it all. So yeah, I didn't see eye to eye with the bitch."

I felt a lump catching in my throat. "Well, she's gone now... Isn't she?" I still hadn't told him much about my dealings with Boone.

"Yeah, I was pretty relieved. But Boone was rather upset. Guess I should have figured. I just thought that she'd left him for the strip and hoped he'd get over it."

"So she actually did leave for the strip?"

"That's what everyone thinks. She didn't leave a note for him or for anyone. She was just gone."

I pursed my lips. "That must have been pretty hard." At least I had him talking.

"I guess I didn't really consider it. I was happy when it happened but I guess that's why Boone hates my guts."

I nibbled a thumbnail. "What was Boone like before Carla left?" I asked thoughtfully.

"Pretty much the same without all the anger. He was always quiet although he had mastered sarcasm and some days couldn't stop making me laugh."

I smiled at the thought and then let my mind drift back to the moody nighttime sniper. "What did Carla look like?"

"She had light brown hair, big eyes, a typical sort of woman that expects male adoration."

I tried picturing her the way that Manny described her, but all I could think about was her terrified and gagged while being dragged away from her home while staring helplessly at the dinosaur where her husband sat only feet away. If only he had went on his break just then and seen her... He could have saved her.

My stomach churned.

"Hey," I began. "I've got something to do, but don't worry. I'll at least check out Reppcon and let you know, okay?"

He nodded and I slipped out the door quickly, shutting it softly behind me.

After a heartbeat, I made my way down the stairs.

"I see you and Manny have made friends," Cliff mentioned light heartedly with a smile.

I smiled back and nodded. "We were just talking about Carla," I admitted. Hoping to get Cliff talking. It couldn't have been Manny. No way. There was also no way that Cliff could ever do a thing like that either, but I hoped that he at least knew something. "It's so sad. Poor Boone. That's his name, right? Boone?"

"Yeah," Cliff sighed. "I can't even imagine what that man's going through. He left a couple of weeks ago and was gone for a while. We thought that he wasn't ever coming back. But he did. And he went straight back to work every day after. Jeanie May says that he thinks it was Legionaries who took his wife."

"She thinks the Legion took Carla?" I blinked in surprise. "I thought she ran away."

"No, Jeanie thinks that she ran away, but Boone thinks that it was Legion. I guess the man's always had a grudge on them since they're fighting the NCR."

I nodded. "It's sad. But I'll catch you later Cliff. You have a good one."

"You too. Be sure to drop by if you need anything."

"I will."

As I left the building, I pondered. How did Jeanie know that Boone knew?

I strode towards the motel office, my heart pounding.

"Hi Jeanie May," I called as I entered the building.

"Well hello dear," she responded with a smile on her wrinkled lips.

I tried searching her face for any malicious intent. "I was wondering how long I can keep the room. Uhm, before I have to pay again."

"Well, I think a week would be okay sweetie. We love having you in this town of ours."

"Thanks," I grinned. "How's it going today? Do you need any help around the office?"

"As a matter of fact..."

Jeanie had me cleaning for a while, promising me that I could keep the room for longer in exchange. It was easy to pick the lock in her safe while she was using the bathroom. I had been cleaning out under the counter and noticed the floor safe under some papers. The Bill of Sale was written in careful handwriting but the letters still seemed to blur before my eyes. The door to the shop opened. I closed the safe carefully and quietly before Jeanie noticed and tucked the bill of sale into my back pocket.

"How's it going dear?"

I stood up and dusted my hands off. "I'm done." I offered a wobbly smile.

She circled around the counter. "It looks wonderful dear. My old joints can't stoop down to where you youngsters can. It's much appreciated dear."

"Yeah, no problem." I smiled. "I'm going to hit the hay though." I yawned for effect.

"Of course."

"You have a good one. Glad I could help." I shouldered the door open, letting my false smile slide off of my face once as I was out.

It was still the early afternoon. I had a while before I could tell Boone.

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**So it may be another wait for the next update, but I wrote three chapters in the last couple of days. Not too bad for me. Anyway, let me know what you think, as always 3**


	9. Chapter 9: We're Moving On

**Tom: In the game, Jeanie mentions that she knows what Boone thinks. It's just a little comment that she makes before she tries saying that Carla probably went off on her own.**

**&amp;Things have been busy in my life with apartment hunting, getting married, and starting a new job. So much change. I've been spending most of my free time getting accustomed to change. And I don't like change but it's all good because I'm still happy and things are working out well now. I'm moving next month and thing's will be simpler.**

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The night air was cool on my skin as it tossed my hair about. I debated telling Boone about the sales receipt before I brought Jeanie May to her death. I guess I'd been kind of naiive to think that she was actually the nice person she pretended to be. She might have been nice and had a soft tone of voice but she did make time comments that should have let me know something about her personality.

I sighed, tromping down the stairs towards the dinosaur. I glanced at the sniper's nest as I slid past the chain link fence, hoping to meet Boone's eye and gain some reassurance. I didn't even see the barrel of his rifle.

Sucking in fresh air to clear my head, I sauntered towards Jeanie May's house. Upon approaching it, I knocked on the door feeling the solid wood under my knuckles. Then I waited, listening for any sounds. I vaguely heard quiet shuffling sounds from inside and glanced at the dinosaur before jerking my gaze back to the now open door.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"Uhm," I shuffled slightly. "I think that I seen something dangerous out on the road. I think it was a death claw and Boone's on his break..." The concern on my face was real.

"Just a moment dear," She turned and pulled a rifle out of a cabinet next to a door in the hall behind her.

I paled slightly before nodding and pointing towards the dinosaur. "This way."

We made our way in silence, sneaking up quietly towards the supposed threat.

I pretended that there really was a death claw. I told myself that it was real and kept my mouth shut.

We were now in front of the dinosaur. "It's over there," I whispered. Pointing in the exact opposite direction of the dinosaur. I didn't want her to catch on. I stepped back and watched as she looked down the sights of her rifle and then turned to see Boone lining up the shot.

_Shit._ I thought, whipping out the beret and slapping it sloppily on my head. The shot rang out into the night.

Jeanie lay on the ground a few feet away, her weapon discarded on the ground. I picked it up and flicked the safety on before hanging it over my shoulder. I then searched her and found a few caps and some ammo for the rifle. I'd take a closer look at it later. No clue what it was at the moment.

I stepped over her body, refusing to show any sign of repulsion in front of Boone. I could feel his eyes locked on me as I made my way through the gate and behind the dinosaur.

When I reached him, he was leaning against the inside of Dinky's mouth, elbows leaning in between a few teeth. "So that's it then." He glanced at the corpse and then met my eyes again. "How did you know?" He didn't accuse me of anything. He just calmly trusted my judgement. My heart squeezed. How could he possibly trust me? Then I remembered our previous conversation.

I took a breath before launching into explanation. "I sort of figured it out on accident. I was cleaning for her and then she left me alone for a bit and I picked the lock on her safe and found..." I patted my pockets trying to remember what I'd done with the bill of sale. I found it tucked away in my boot and as I fished it out, I felt the beret lifted off of my head gently. I looked up in surprise and handed him the slip as he adjusted the beret on his own head again. He took it and examined it before tucking it into his back pocket.

"It's just like them to keep paperwork," He snorted. "Here." He handed me a bag of caps which I just looked at. I didn't make a move to take it.

"No, I don't want it." I met his eyes. After a few moments of his arm extended, he let it fall limply to his side and nodded. "What'll you do now?" I asked, leaning against the wall of the small room.

He chuckled. "I'm not sure. I know I won't be staying, that's for sure. Maybe I'll wander, like you."

The last two words of his sentence seemed to hang in the air. _Like you._ "Come with me. We can take on the Legion together."

"You don't want to do that."

"What, take on the Legion? Because I'm pretty sure they're nothing more than murdering assholes who make the world a worse place."

He shook his head. "No. You don't want to invite me along."

"Why not?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because I'm bad luck."

"Well, I've got a shit ton of good luck, so we neutral out. I thought snipers worked in teams?"

He met my eyes again. "You're right. I've worked alone before and paid for it... Fine. But just so you know, this won't end well. Let's go."

I offered him a smile, telling him I didn't believe him.

We made our way down the stairs. As we walked, I talked. "So I need to get my things together and we should probably get some rest. Although I assume you're on a different sleeping schedule than I... I have some med-x if you wanted to sleep."

He shook his head.

"I don't know if you'd prefer to stay in your room or my room, but... Uhm, I have a couch and I guess we could figure out what supplie Is we have together from there. We don't want to carry too much though, because I usually scavenge things along the way. Just so you know..." I was rambling and I knew it, but I couldn't help it. I felt awkward. I'd invited him with and I didn't know him. I didn't know if I could trust him or if he would ever agree on any decisions that I made. Maybe he just hoped that I would be the death of him. I bit my lip.

"I'll go get some supplies and meet you back in your room," He said curtly.

I nodded in agreement and climbed the stairs swinging the door open and throwing myself onto my bed. I lay there for a minute before getting up and taking a bottle of rum from the fridge. It wasn't spiced rum, it was plain and white and tasted like rubbing alcohol. But it got me drunker quicker. I didn't have much of a tolerance for alcohol so a few shots in and I was good.

I then laid on the bed, waiting for Boone to come back, not sure if I should let the alcohol lul me into sleep or if I should stay up and wait to go through our supplies like I'd suggested in the first place.

I didn't get a chance to decide. Once as the alcohol melted into my muscles, I felt myself relaxing into a calm sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Getting to Know You

**I managed to scrape together enough motivation to write this chapter. I feel really bad for not updating for so long. It's been a while. I ended up moving into a new apartment, getting married, getting a kitten, and starting a new job all in the time since I've last been on here. There's been so much going on that I guess I just didn't get much room to even think about writing.**

**Anyway, here's the new chapter. Let me know what you think.**

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When I woke up the next morning, Boone was sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and offered him a small smile. I barely knew this man.

He nodded to me in acknowledgement and took another puff. The thick smoke was curling around the room despite Boone having managed to force the stuck window open, something that I hadn't managed.

"I'm amazed you got that open," I commented, swinging my feet out of bed and sitting up fully.

He shrugged.

"So… We're going to be traveling together. I, uhm, need some things done. I'm looking for this guy named Benny. Name ring any bells?"

He shook his head and flicked an ash out the window.

"Well, I was hoping that you could help me with that."

He nodded. "Yeah, not a problem," He answered, actually using his voice for the first time.

"So, I don't exactly know how this, uhm, relationship is going to work. I have things that I want to do and I want you to help me, but I don't want to just boss you around. If there's anything you want to do…"

"The only thing I want to do is kill Legionnaires." He turned and looked me in the eye. He was still wearing those sunglasses. "So long as you're okay with us doing that, we can do whatever you want. You lead, I'll follow."

I nodded sheepishly. "Alright. Well. Uhm. I wanted to go to Repconn today."

"Manny?" He asked with an almost smile.

I nodded, smoothing out my hair a little.

"I'm ready when you are."

Our short conversation was over like that. He looked back out the window and went back to smoking his cigarette. It felt like a dismissal.

Sucking down a breath of air, I got up and made my way to the bathroom, moving around a bag he had set next to my bed.

It took me ten minutes to get ready. I didn't wear any makeup and all I had to do was put on my armor and brush my hair.

It took me another half an hour to decide what I needed to bring.

I honestly had never seen a ghoul. I didn't want to admit that to Boone, but soon realized that I had to explain myself.

I sat on the floor with my stuff scattered in a circle around me. I probably looked pretty silly. "Boone?"

"Mmh?" He turned his head towards me.

"What is a ghoul like?"

His eyes narrowed behind his glasses and his eyebrows slowly pulled together. "You don't…?" He didn't even finish the sentence.

Sighing, I climbed onto the bed and crossed my legs under me. I felt more comfortable when we were facing each other. It was already hard enough to talk to him, let alone do it across a room. "Okay, so… I was shot a couple of weeks ago. I… don't remember much." There was an uncomfortably long pause. "That's my story." I bit my lip and didn't meet his eyes. Why was this so hard?

He got up from his lounging position where he was sprawled across the couch and moved to sit with his legs apart and his elbows positioned on his knees. "A ghoul is basically an extremely irradiated person. They can be sane and normal or they can be feral. The feral ones attack humans without a second thought. They'll bite you and claw you, but they're not smart enough to use a weapon."

I nodded, soaking it all in, relief spreading through my body. I wasn't relieved about the ghouls, though. For some reason I was relieved about the fact that he was talking instead of giving me that look making me feel like a child who had just been caught trying on mom's under garments. "Are they hard to kill?"

He shrugged. "Depends. Some of them still have armor on from when they were human or… not feral anyway."

I nodded. "How many are in Repconn?"

He shrugged.

I nodded.

This relationship was going to be difficult.

We made our way through town towards the Repconn Testing Facility. I couldn't help but feel the stares of the townsfolk as they eyed Boone walking with this strange new girl. I kept my eyes trained on the road ahead of me and only glanced at them occasionally.

Because of this, I wasn't paying much attention to the road. I just kept walking. I knew that Boone probably felt more comfortable in the silence, but I still felt obligated to talk. I tried to resist.

I fiddled with my belt, I tugged down my shirt hem, and I brushed my long hair out of my face. I also kept darting my eyes about. I just wasn't able to be comfortable. At all.

"Look out," Boone suddenly ordered, in a low commanding voice.

I snapped my eyes forward and caught sight of something standing in the path cutting into the cliff face. Boone was right. It looked almost human.

I was about to reach for my gun when two shots rang out next to me and the ghoul fell, dead.

Boone was already reloading when I looked over at him.

"Thanks," I muttered.

He shrugged.

We continued walking.


	11. Chapter 11: Recognition

**I honestly miss the old format for editing text in the website doc manager. That's where I write everything. Haha Anyway, it's been sooooo long. I kept telling myself that I'd update and then I didn't. But, here it is, finally. Thank you for your patience 3 Btw, did you know there is apparently a real place called Repcon? Spelled with one N. They're a mechanical contracting company based out of Texas. Fun facts!**

**Unedited! Whoo!**

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Boone let out the smallest of sighs as I packed everything that I could into my pack and hefted it onto my back, wobbling once as I stood up.

"Do you really need all of that?" He growled, crossing his arms.

"I can sell it all and get a lot of money. These things are worth quite a bit."

"We haven't even gotten to Repconn. Please tell me you're not planning on picking up things there too."

I paused for a moment. "Uh, It depends on what I find."

He signed. "We'll be heading back here on our way back, you should just leave it here and come back for it."

I nodded, seeing the sense in his logic. "I hadn't thought of that." I began emptying my pack into a locked ammo box.

"Look out," He muttered and I glanced up to see him firing at a figure moving on a walkway suspended above us. I slammed the box shut and stood, my pack lighter and the ghoul already dead.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not waiting for his grumpy response. I walked past him and back onto the road. The sun was rising past the cliffs, starting to angle its rays onto the opposing wall to our left. The golden rocks waved and undulated as I moved past them, my thumbs hooked into the straps of my backpack.

I heard nothing but my own breathing and the sound of our footsteps crunching in the gravel. Everything felt calm until the rhythmic sounds were broken by a hiss from ahead. There was another ghoul. Three of them actually.

I yanked out my pistol, ready this time. I fired and heard Boone firing too. He immediately took out one. I missed.

The other two ghouls came running for us. Boone took one out but the other lunged for me. I yelped, pushing myself back as it had found its way into striking range. It raked its claws through the air, hissing and snarling as the rotting bits of flesh hung loosely from its jaw and cheeks.

I felt its hot breath as it lunged again. I fell backwards and suddenly it crumpled in front of me.

I glanced up at Boone, my eyes wide. "Thank you..."

He didn't say anything, just kicked it to make sure it was dead.

I stood, switching out my pistol for a bigger rifle that would do more damage and had a scope. It was the one I had taken from Jeanie May.

"Let's be more quiet this time," I muttered, as we began moving more slowly towards the Repconn facility.

The outside yard was littered with wandering ghouls, swaying their arms eerily at their sides with their fingers flexing as if ready to attack. One of them pounced on a rad roach and dug its fingers into its shell, killing it.

I shuddered. "These things are so creepy," I whispered, lining up a shot with the nearest one. Just as I was about to squeeze the trigger, Boone took out one of them. The one I'd been aiming for turned to look for the source of the sound. I fired. It fell. And like that suddenly the rest of them were all sprinting towards us, snarling and growling in the worst way possible.

I kept firing, missing about half the shots I took. Boone was incredibly accurate, hitting the heads of every one in a single shot each time.

When it was finally quit, I crept out from the shelter of the cliff, nervously peering about.

"Okay," I breathed. "I think we're good."

"Yeah," Boone agreed from behind me, coming up beside me.

"Let's go."

The Repconn facility was dim and had hardly any windows. The interior was nothing but gray and slightly darker gray.

I noticed a huge thing laying on the floor. "What's that?" I froze, staring at the deep purple skin.

"Nightkin," Boone grunted, scanning the entrance for anything. "They're usually invisible. Keep your eyes peeled."

I shuddered. "I will," I whispered.

The building was completely silent, except for the occasional trickling of debri as it rolled loose from the building. I also noticed a soft dripping noise after a while. I followed the sound and it led towards a growing puddle of blood seeping through the floor above. Grimacing, I stepped back.

"We should probably try to sweep through the whole building as much as we can." I kept my voice low and quiet, feeling the silence pressing in on us as if something lay in wait.

Just then a loud snarl was heard from the balcony above and a ghoul leapt over the railing towards us. A scream escaped from my lips as I frantically stumbled away. Boone fired and took it out. However the noise was answered with several more screeches from the other ghouls and then all I could hear was the thudding of feet as they charged towards us. It sounded like a lot.

I backed towards the door, tripping on the large purple figure. Four ghouls leapt towards us, their claws outstretched. One aimed for me and racked me with its claws.

I put my arms up to defend myself, but its nails tore through my arm and left deep gouges. I screamed in pain and kicked at it, but it didn't even flinch. I kicked again, hitting its chest as it loomed above me. I used my good hand to pull out my pistol and fired three times until it stopped moving.

It fell towards me but I kicked it disgustedly out of the way. Another shot rang out and then it was quiet again. Boone had taken out the other three.

I groaned, pulling myself up using only one arm as the other was bleeding profusely.

"I think I'm going to need a tetanus shot or something..." Thinking of the strings of eroding flesh that hung off the bodies that lay around us. "Shit." I hissed, clutching the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "I think that's enough for today I'm going to get this fucking bandaged."

Boone nodded, a strange look on his face.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Let's go." He held the door open for me and we headed back the way we had come.

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**Please please review. I want to know if this story is worth keeping up on. Thanks so much! 3**


	12. Chapter 12: Onward

**At this point, I have no idea where I want to go with this story and I'm going to change a few things about my writing style. I want to change the whole story again, but I won't do that to you. For now, I'm going to try to keep up on this no matter how much I hate it.**

* * *

I curled my arms around my legs as the cool air brushed past me in a light breeze. I squeezed my eyes shut as I took in a shaky breath. Everything was going to be fine...

I peeked around the corner and glimpsed the invisibility field. Okay... I waited, my own stealthboy making me just as hard to see. Or so I hoped. Just as the nightkin was coming around the corner, I silently toed my way around it, pressed to the wall. I then made my way down the long corridor as quietly as possible.

Davidson had said that he would lead his group out of the building soon, so I was, thankfully, encountering only a few nightkin at all. I made it to the exit and winced as the door let out a shrill screech followed by a hiss from a ghoul on the other side. I immediately turned and ran for the stairwell to the room the other ghouls were holed up in. I launched myself onto the stairs two at a time, pulling myself up by the railings to propell me faster. The snarling behind me became furious as it followed, taking leaps towards me and even catching my boot once. I made it to the catwalk and swung myself around it. A quick glance showed that the ghoul was still right behind me. It reached with its claws for me and I hastened my pace, my arms pumping at my sides.

I reached the door and pressed the button, leaping through the door as soon as it opened. The ghoul threw itself behind me and landed roughly on top of me, snarling and screaming.

I covered my face as it tried to rip into me when suddenly it was gone. I glanced up to see that some of the other ghouls had pulled it off of me. It stared at me, still snarling, its eyes wild and wide. I felt a hand pull me up. It was a female ghoul I had talked to earlier.

"Thanks," I wheezed out. "Uh, the demons are leaving soon." I coughed, eyeing the feral ghoul, its jaws still snapping. "You, uh, might be safer locking those things, uh, guys up. Or at least the people would be..."

* * *

"I can't believe you got rid of the ghouls in rockets," Manny chuckled.

I shrugged, biting my cheek self consciously. "They weren't all bad."

"Right, well, tell that to the two folks who had their arms bitten into."

"Am I included in this club? I have some bites too."

Manny shook his head. "As promised... the Khans and your friend were headed to Boulder City."

"He wasn't my friend," I muttered. "But thank you. Even though you could have told me without me risking my life."

Manny shrugged. "You look like you can handle yourself. And you're here, aren't you?"

I snorted. " ." I opened the door behind me and offered a farewell grin before descending the stairs and exiting the dinosaur.

Awkwardly, I knocked on Boone's door.

He opened it and stared at me for a moment. "I thought you had left without me."

"I, uh, did. I..." I coughed. "I got rid of the ghouls. Uhm, sorry. I know I said I'd get you once as my arm was patched up, but..." I shrugged.

He didn't respond.

"I was going to go to Boulder City. There's some people there. The ones I'm looking for. Could you come with?" My eyes hesitantly met his.

"I've got your back."

I grinned and stepped back as he exited his room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Walking into the building, I was hit with a wave of dizziness as I recognized the Khans in the general store. They had let me pass without shooting, so that was a good sign. But all of them had their eyes trained on me.

"Holy hell. You're that courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings."

I caught Boone glancing at me, then turned my attention back to Jessup. "Ooooo. I'm a ghost!"

"Okay, quit fucking around. So you survived."

I grinned. "Hell yeah I did." I was acting more brave than I actually felt. "Where's Benny?" I glanced around the room, not seeing him. My heart pounded in my chest and seeing the Khans only made me remember snippets of that night in Goodsprings. I kept replaying Benny's smiling face and then being slammed against the building.

"He's not here," Jessup sneered. "That snake probably ran all the way back to Vegas."

"Ugh. Okay. So are you going to let the hostages go?"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it'll save you from getting shot by the NCR."

"Yeah right." I decided I didn't like his voice.

"I've already made a deal with the guy in charge. You let them go, you walk out of here."

He glanced at the hostages.

"By the way, I'm sorry about Chauncey."

His eyes met mine for a moment before he looked away and shrugged. "When you see Benny, do me a favor." He tossed a lighter at me. "Tell him I said he can shove this up his ass."

I nodded, a small smile on my lips.


	13. Chapter 13: Emotional Noise

**I'm trying to take this in a different direction here and turn it into something that I actually enjoy writing. So, uh, here's your very late update.**

* * *

I shivered in the cold, my arms clutched tightly around me.

House.

He was something.

The lights of New Vegas glimmered dazzlingly in all directions. I still found it hard to believe that such a place existed. I felt a lump in my stomach as I walked towards the gate.

I swallowed my fear and opened the gate and headed for the Tops. Alone. Boone hadn't liked the idea but I assured him that I could handle myself.

I had gotten better with a gun and was at least somewhat competent now.

I opened the casino door and squared my shoulders.

I was dressed to kill. Metaphorically. I wanted to prove that I wasn't afraid, even though I knew I was. My hair was done up courtesy of Veronica and my lips were stained blood red. Veronica had encouraged my to wear a red dress too, but I had stuck with a deep green one, I had found in the Presidential Suite. The edges hugged my hips and made me look a lot more confidant.

I kept some of my weapons and smiled at the friendly greeter before lifting my head and moving towards the game floor.

Frank Sinatra was playing over the loud speakers and gamblers were laughing and talking loudly.

I immediately noticed Benny across the room. He stood in a group of body guards whilst he smoked, leaning against a hand railing casually. His back was to me.

My heart immediately began pounding, but I forced myself to keep moving forward.

When I got closer, one of the body guards nodded in my direction and Benny turned in my direction.

I stopped a few feet away.

"Hi." My voice came out quietly but I was pleased that it was even.

"Holy shit." Benny stared at me for a full minute before running a hand over his mouth and shaking his head. He stumbled down the steps and gripped the edge of the railing.

I clenched my small make up bag, careful not to bump any of the grenade pins inside it.

"I don't mean to sound rude here baby doll, but how'd you make it out of there?" His face was completely pale.

My nervousness gave way to a tiny thread of anger. "You're a horrible shot," I muttered, keeping my eyes locked on his.

He nodded. "Apparently..."

It was quiet for a while longer. I wasn't sure what to say. Now that he was here in front of me...

"So... what happens now baby?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure... Can we talk please?"

He glanced at the guards around him then glanced at me, his eyes trailing over my body. "I don't think you could hide a gun in that get up..." He sighed. "Yeah, come with me."

I trailed behind him nervously.

"Hold on a second..." I called out and stopped at the bar.

Benny watched as I ordered a bottle of scotch. I immediately took the lid off and drank straight from the bottle. I couldn't do this by myself.

His eyes seemed a little nervous as I twisted the lid back on and moved beside him again.

His suite wasn't as impressive as mine, I had to admit and I was a little glad of that.

He poured himself a drink and sat down on his couch, signaling for me to do the same.

I tentatively moved past him and lowered myself onto the sofa.

We sat in silence for a little longer until I felt the alcohol sink into my system, warming my body and numbing my nerves.

"So, why'd you shoot me?"

He chuckled, leaning back. "Straight to the point, huh?" He shook his head. "I just didn't want any loose ends coming after me when I tried to execute my plan."

"You mean like the thing that's happening right now?"

"Yeah," He sighed. "I suppose."

"You could have bought the fucking chip from me instead. I doubt you're lacking in the caps."

He sucked in a deep breath but didn't answer. Instead he replied, "Things aren't as great in Vegas as they may seem to everyone else. There's a lot of shit backed up here."

"Yeah," I replied, taking another drink.

"I'm going to change things. But I need to take control before I can do that."

I waited for him to continue.

"You know... honestly I feel a lot better knowing that you're alive. I couldn't take the guilt of thinking I had killed you. You weren't some average asshole you'd meet on the street."

"Uh, thanks," I muttered.

"You looked so scared tied up like that." He was staring ahead of him and I felt my nerves spark up once more, despite the alcohol. "I'd never seen anyone with that look before and I don't want to again. I'm sorry."

My hands trembled in my lap. "You're lucky I'm still alive or 'sorry' wouldn't mean a thing."

He met my eyes again. "I know." He smiled and there was his charm again. "Can you forgive me?"

Before I could answer he leaned over and kissed me, his breath tasting like wine and his skin smelling clean and inviting.


	14. Chapter 14: The Clever Fox

**I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. But I have a soft spot for Vulpes, so here's this.**

* * *

Of course he was gone when I woke up.

I rolled over onto my side and stared at the flaking wall paper and found a note on the pillow. I sat up and quickly scanned over it while rubbing my pounding head.

The events of last night replayed in my mind as a humiliated blush crept over my face. He still had the chip...

I turned my head and looked at myself in the vanity mirror. My hair was a mess and a dark purple bruise had formed on the side of my neck just under my jaw.

My hand rose up and my eyes bulged.

As if it wouldn't be hard enough to explain coming back the next morning. I shoved the covers off of me and placed my bare feet on the cold floor.

Holy shit... Fuck.

I swayed slightly as I stood, dressing quickly and hurrying out of the suite.

I collected my weapons from the greeter who shamelessly addressed me as "that cat that Benny took to his room last night."

I blushed furiously at the stares that I got and stormed out of the casino.

I kept power walking, planning to head out of Vegas for a while when I felt a hand grip my arm and yank me to a stop.

I furiously turned to see a man dressed in a suit with a matching hat.

"Uh, hi..." I responded blandly.

"Vale," Came the cool response and my heart immediately jumped in my chest. It was the man from Nipton. Vulpes.

"What are you doing in the strip?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing and my muscles coiling into a ready position.

I noticed his eyes lingering at the bruise on my neck for a moment, his face emotionless. "I am the head of the fumentarii. It is sometimes necessary to blend in. We are skilled in battle as well as in infiltration."

"Good to know." I growled, trying to jerk my arm away, but he didn't let go.

"My lord has requested your presence at Fortification Hill."

"What does he want?" After noticing the stares we were getting, I forced my body to relax and met his gaze evenly.

"Go. And you will see."

"Right." I grumbled. "Go play with the rattlesnake sweetie. It might not hurt you. It wants to talk to you."

"Caesar had guaranteed your safety through our lands and your safe return. He does not go back on his word." He finally let go of my arm and reached into his coat pocket.

I rubbed the spot where he had gripped my arm.

"This is the mark of Caesar and will ensure no one will lay a hand on you." He placed a pendant of sorts around my neck and gently pulled my hair free of the string.

My cheeks heated involuntarily and I looked at the mark. "Thanks."

"I've also been sent as your escort."

My eyes shot to his. "Wait, I have to go now?"

"Caesar does not like to be kept waiting."

"Well, I was kind of in the middle of-"

"You're staying at the Lucky 38, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"Then we shall collect your belongings and get you more appropriate clothes." I noticed his eyes trailing down the flesh of my legs that were exposed under my dress.

I opened my mouth to speak but he placed a hand on the small of my back and led me towards the gate. "If Boone sees you, he'll shoot you on sight."

"I'm well aware of your sniper friend. However, I doubt he would recognize me based solely on my face. I make a habit of not being noticed as any good spy would."

I couldn't help but noticing his unique voice once more and the way he used it.

In a few moments we were standing at the door of the Lucky 38.

"Can you wait here?" I asked nervously.

"I would prefer not to," He growled, maneuvering me towards the door.

"Why, are you planning to blow the place up?" I growled. "Because House has a _lot_ of securetrons in there and a whole lot of other defensive measures-"

"I do not care for this building. When we take the Dam, we'll worry about Vegas. Right now it is not a priority. But I assure you, it will one day burn to the ground."

I shivered at the cold honesty in his voice as we stepped through the doors and into the Casino.

"Well, hi there!" Victor's greeting was chipper as always.

"Hi," I mumbled as I dragged my feet to the elevator. "Please don't tell my friends who you are..." I said to Vulpes.

"I have no intention of getting shot today," He replied and stepped into the elevator, politely gesturing for me to enter before him.

We rode the rest of the way up in silence. I pressed myself against the wall, feeling awkward in the cramped space.

The bell chimed and I darted out of the elevator and was greeted by Veronica who had been carrying a bowl towards the kitchen. "Hey! I was beginning to get worried..." She paused, noticing Vulpes behind me and then glancing at the mark on my neck. "Oh." Her voice came out flat as she tried to not sound surprised. "Uh, is this, uh, Benny?" Her brows furrowed slightly.

"No!" I said a little too quickly. "Uh, this is Lucifer."

Vulpes quirked a brow at the name and a faint smile curled his mouth upwards. "Pleased to meet you."

"Yeah. Same." Veronica awkwardly shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I thought you were going to see Benny?"

"Change of plans." I shrugged trying to keep my face neutral.

"Right," Veronica nodded, then smiled. "Well, at least you had some fun. Nice meeting you Lucy!" She winked at me and continued towards the kitchen.

Sighing, I gestured for Vulpes to follow me to my room. I didn't want him to meet any of my other friends.

"Lucifer?" He asked when the door was shut.

"Sorry, first name that comes to mind when I think of you." I strode towards my wardrobe and fished around until I found my reinforced leather armor.

"Says the woman who presumably slept with the man who shot her." His voice came from right behind me and I jumped at his closeness and turned around sharply. He pushed me against the closed wardrobe and leaned in close. "Do you like bad boys?" The smile he gave me was vicious.

"Fuck off." I snarled, not knowing what else to say. I pushed him away roughly with both hands and crossed my arms over my chest and strode towards my weapons locker and pulled out my rifle and the pouch of ammo. I stood holding the weapon threateningly and gave him a warning look. "I need to get dressed. Could you please step out of the room?"

"Of course." There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he exited the room and I let out a sigh.

I dressed quickly, hoping that he wasn't causing any trouble with my friends.

When I was ready, I threw my bag over one shoulder and jerked the door open roughly.

Vulpes wasn't in the hall.

Growling, I checked the pool room and only saw Veronica perched on the couch watching an old romance holotape. I glanced in the kitchen briefly, and saw Boone eating at the long table. I waved before exiting the room and heading for the guest room. Vulpes was leaning against the wall, listening to Arcade ramble about something to do with why the legion would fail based on their lack of technology and medicine.

Vulpes was nodding in agreement and had started to ask a question when I gripped his sleeve. "You ready to go Lucy?"

He fixed me with a glare and said goodbye to Arcade. I dragged Vulpes to the elevator and announced to everyone that I was leaving before stabbing the button for the Penthouse floor. The doors shut and I glared up at Vulpes. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Merely having a conversation," His eyes were taunting with amusement.

"Bullshit." I jabbed a finger into his chest. "You do not get to use me as a way to make my friends trust you into sharing potentially tactical information to benefit you."

His smile widened slightly. The elevator dinged and the doors opened once more.

"You have to wait here." I grunted, stepping out of the elevator. "House will only speak with me. Not any of my friends have even seen him." I turned to Victor who was stationed next to the elevator.

"That's correct, little miss."

"Good. Don't let the elevator go anywhere. He'll wait here."

For once, I got no response. I imagined his furious expression as I strode down the stairs and a smile crept on my lips.


	15. Chapter 15: Twisted Affection

**I could very well be playing Fallout 4, however, I'm pissed off at the game because I can't get John Hancock as a companion and the other companions that I do have are extremely boring. So I've been playing New Vegas some more and I've even got a mod to get Vulpes as a companion. It actually works very well. It's probably the inspiration for what I've been doing with the story lately... Anyhow...**

**Also, I redid almost all of Chapter 6 because the initial meeting with Vulpes was just bothering me. Now it sets the stage a little better. Sorry.**

* * *

I approached Vulpes with more confidence in my step after talking with House.

I even greeted him with a smile as I stepped into the elevator.

Benny had run off to the Fort. I could get the chip back and find that asshole. And I was already conveniently invited to the Fort as it was.

"So," I began, getting back to business mode. "Caesar wanted to talk to a woman and sent one of his best men to escort me? I feel awfully important. I haven't even done anything significantly good or bad in relation to him. Have I?"

"I would ask him that yourself."

The elevator reached the ground floor and we exited the casino. "So you can't tell me anything at all?"

There was no response.

"Great," I huffed, shoving open the gate to the strip. "Did I not tell enough people of the horrors of Nipton? Is that what this is about?"

"No," He answered. "You performed your task admirably."

I nodded, glad that I wasn't being dragged off to my death. Especially since I would be alone and without any backup. For some reason I figured that Vulpes was being honest with me. If he had any intention of torturing me, I doubted he would be able to keep it a secret. No. He would tell me in extreme detail. And he didn't need to escort me to the Fort. He could have dragged me there by force.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair, combing it back and out of my face.

"So why were you asking Arcade all that stuff?"

He sighed as if he was annoyed that I was asking so many questions. "It is necessary to hear outside opinions of the Legion to potentially better ourselves."

"You could, y'know try not raping and murdering and see how many people you got to follow you then."

He scoffed. "The world is vile and must be cleansed."

"Right, get rid of all the evil people and you'll be the only evil ones left." We had reached the outskirts of Vegas by now and the silence around me was calming me. I guess I just hated being around people.

"I can hardly expect a profligate to understand the complexity of what we are trying to achieve."

"I dunno, I'm pretty smart."

He scoffed again and veered off to walk ahead of me, effectively telling me he was done with the conversation.

* * *

That night I sat curled up by the camp fire, hugging my knees to my chest.

Vulpes had just finished eating a can of pork and beans and was rinsing his spoon with water from his canteen.

"So, what do you see in the Legion?" I asked, staring into the flames.

"This again?" He grunted, leaning back on his hands. "You ask far too many questions for someone who seems to think she has everything already figured out."

His eyes were measuring my facial expression and tracking my every movement. "It's just... you seem so smart. How could you not see that everything the Legion is doing to innocent people -"

"No one is innocent," He purred, his voice like cold honey.

"But I know you know that that isn't a proper justification for it. People can change."

"And I suppose you're hoping I will change?"

I pressed my lips together. "Well, I don't know. Maybe?"

He snorted, leaning towards me so that I could feel his breath on my cheek. "I assure you, I do not intend to change my ways. I enjoy the things I do and I do not pretend to justify what I do. I know it's wrong and I don't care."

I stared into his icy blue eyes and felt my heart pick up pace. "I'm sure you wouldn't feel that way if you were on the receiving end of the torture you put others through."

"Maybe you're right." He grinned maliciously at me, not moving away from me.

I trembled at his closeness and swallowed thickly.

"Shall we find out?"

I jerked away. "What?"

"Shall we see how much I do or do not like it?"

I scooted away. "You want me to torture you?"

"Among other things." His eyes told me what he did not say out loud.

I backed away further. "No thanks. I don't get my kicks from torture sex like you probably do."

I wrapped my arms around my knees again and stared into the fire, trying to ignore him as best as I could.

I heard him chuckling darkly and I knew he was enjoying my discomfort. Suddenly I felt his presence behind me and he sat with his legs on either side of me curling his arms around my waist and pressing my back against his chest. One hand trailed over the mark on my neck from the night I'd had with Benny.

"Where exactly did you say you got this?" He purred in my ear before wrapping his hand around my throat and squeezing gently.

"I didn't. And it's none of your business." I tried pushing his hands away but he only tightened his arm on my waist.

"I've heard an awful lot about you," He continued, gripping my throat slightly tighter. "You were shot in the head by a man and hunted him down to the Tops Casino. It's not hard to figure out what happened. Did you kill him after you fucked him?"

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Fuck off!" I tried elbowing him away but he suddenly squeezed my throat. Hard. I struggled and gasped, clawing at his fingers, trying to free myself.

"You pretend to be innocent, but I know how many people you've killed." He nipped at my ear lightly. "You've ruthlessly hunted down Fiends and slaughtered them in cold blood. You fucked the man who shot you and you killed everyone at the NCR Correctional Facility." I panicked as I heard real anger entering his voice. "Don't pretend that you're better than me."

I felt his hand release me and I gasped to fill my lungs, coughing and sputtering. He moved away from me as I rubbed my throat, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes.

"I suggest you get some sleep. We've got a long way to travel." He leaned back on his bedroll and grinned at me, his eyes shining in the fire light.


	16. Chapter 16: Forget About Turning Back

**This is starting to go in a completely different direction than I had originally intended. Oh well. I hope you like it anyhow. Also I bumped the rating up to M for potential future events. You have been warned. Also, kind of non consensual ahead also. Just so you know.**

**Also, I don't have a better way to respond to you, so... "Nobody", thank you for all your reviews! I read every single one of them! Also, yeah, I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to writing and stuff. I guess I had no idea what to do with the story and I was feeling that everything that I wrote was really tedious. But, yeah. Vulpes kind of has a special place in my heart, especially for a sadistic Legionary. I really don't know what it is that I find so special about him. But, yeah, his voice is pretty amazing. It's so sexy, haha.**

* * *

When I woke up, Vulpes was already awake. My head felt heavy and my thoughts felt thick as if I were wading through cotton.

"Good morning," He purred. "Did you sleep well?"

I groaned in response, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands.

"We have to travel towards Nipton in order to make our way to Cotton Wood Cove. We should get there today."

I nodded, my eyelids feeling heavy. "I've got a room in Novac that they gave to me after I helped the town," I muttered. "We could stay there."

He nodded approvingly and kicked sand over the fire pit. "Will you be ready to go soon?"

"I guess," I mumbled, dragging my fingers through my hair. "I'm so tired..."

"That is unfortunate," He blinked at me calmly and picked up both of our packs. "I've already gotten everything ready."

I nodded, dazed and allowed him to help me up and strap my pack onto my back.

Traveling with Vulpes had turned into a form of torture. He would make constant remarks about the state of the wasteland and how I was naive to think that any of it could change. He also regaled me with tales of things he'd done to prisoners he'd had and slaves he'd had, the details making me want to vomit.

I was glad that he was in a better mood than last night, but I suspected that was solely due to my discomfort.

By the time we made it to Novac, I still felt tired. I had asked to stop anywhere for a soda or coffee or anything, but Vulpes hadn't allowed me to stop the traders who we had passed. He said he didn't want to draw any attention and he just wanted to move on.

I was too tired to question him and was ready to pass out by the time we did finally stumble into the town.

The last time I had been here was when I left with Boone. I looked up at the dinosaur in the moonlight and wondered if they had hired anyone to keep watch from there at night.

We made our way through the fence and I shut if behind us, my hands fumbling with the latch. Vulpes was directly behind me when I turned around.

"Where is your room?" I couldn't read anything in his expression.

I simply pointed and began to climb the steps, eager to get some sleep.

I pulled out my keys and opened the door stepping into the dusty room.

It felt like so long since I'd been here. I flicked on the light and seen a lot of things I had left out. Some clothes thrown over a suit case, a teddy bear on the night stand, and a nightgown draped over the arm of the couch.

I sat on the bed and tugged off my boots, letting them fall on the ground with a thud.

I tugged off the top layer of my armor, feeling cool relief in only my tank top. I happily threw my shirt on the floor and began tugging off the leather pants so that I could wear only my tank and shorts.

When I had kicked off my pants, I scooted back on the bed and relaxed on my side. It was only then that I realized Vulpes had been watching me.

"What?" I growled, tucking the pillow under my head and glaring at him.

"I just didn't expect you to be so eager once as we were alone." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll join you then."

I started to sit up, ready to snarl a retort when he suddenly loomed over me, legs straddling mine and his hands supporting his weight on either side of my head. "What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing," He chuckled, rolling over me and settling himself on the bed on the other side of me. "You were simply in the way."

I angrily turned away from him, letting out an angry hiss of air, and I fell asleep before I even knew it.

* * *

I woke sometime that night to find an arm wrapped comfortingly around my torso. I felt a warm body curled around mine and I let out a contented sigh. I snuggled in closer and the arm tightened around me.

"Well, well," Purred a voice right beside me before teeth grazed my ear and lips trailed down the side of my neck.

I suddenly woke up completely and jerked away, struggling against his arm.

An irritated sigh came from behind me and he growled, "I'm not going to hurt you, just go to sleep."

He tightened his arm around me and I felt myself panicking in being trapped. My heart was now beating too fast and my breathing had quickened. "I have to go to the bathroom," I blurted.

He sighed and released me and I tumbled off the bed, glancing back to see him watching me with measured eyes. He was only in his boxers and his bare chest gleamed in what little light that made it through the window.

I hurried to the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I pressed my back against the door and tried to calm my breathing. What the fuck was wrong with him?

I ran the sink water and splashed some on my face, staring into my pathetic reflection. I couldn't help but to notice that my cheeks were tinted pink. I delayed going back out as long as I could until I realized that there probably wasn't anything I could do anyways.

Swallowing, I opened the door and immediately turned to the fridge and took out a bottle of whiskey. I angrily slammed the fridge door and marched towards the couch.

Vulpes was sitting up, watching me.

I threw myself on the couch and fixed him with a glare.

"I don't fucking like you," I snapped, taking a swig from the bottle. I didn't know why I never used glasses to drink my liquor.

"I don't care," He rumbled, not taking his eyes off of me.

I shivered, gulping down more of the burning liquid.

He kept staring, as if he had nothing better to do with his life.

"What the hell do you want from me?!" I demanded, slamming the bottle on the table.

"Some fun."

"Well go look somewhere else," I growled, gulping down several more swallows of whiskey, feeling more stressed out by the minute. "Wouldn't your lord be upset when he found out how you treated his guest?"

He suddenly sat up, eyes blazing. "At this point, I highly doubt you'd ever join us. I knew it from the moment I met you when you put those degenerates out of their misery. My lord is foolish to even ask your help."

"You really doubt your all mighty leader, the great Caesar?" I rolled my eyes, feeling the whiskey warming my body and buzzing in my brain.

"I do not doubt him, I simply believe he has not been properly informed about who you are. He will find out in time, however. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to punish you for your insolent behavior. So I'm toying with you instead."

"Good. To. Know." I ground out, standing and tugging on my hair as I paced in front of the dresser. "Any chance of you just letting me go back home and you can tell your boss I said to go fuck himself?"

"I will not disobey Caesar, despite me believing him to have overestimated you. It is my task to take you to the Fort and back. After that-"

"Wait, I have to travel all the way back with you too?! Are you kidding me? I can make it to Vegas by myself. I don't need a guard dog."

"But isn't that why you keep that NCR dog around?"

"No, we watch each other's backs. He's not just my bodyguard."

He watched me pacing and I stopped to meet his gaze again.

"What?!"

"I rather enjoy the way you jiggle when you walk. I'm glad you don't have your armor on."

I let out an outraged sound and went to gather my boots, intent on getting away from him, at least for a little while.

But, of course, he wouldn't let me.

He was standing next to me in an instant, grabbing my boots and tossing them to the floor.

I angrily tried to protest but he grabbed my jaw and shoved me back against the door, pressing the front of his legs to mine to keep me pinned back. "I really enjoy your fighting spirit," he whispered into my ear. "If it were up to me, I would take you as my own and do whatever I pleased with you. I would carve my name into your flesh here..." His free hand trailed over the skin under my collar bone and then lower. "I would score your back with my fingernails while fucking you into the mattress. I would tie your hands and only consider stopping when you begged me."

I pushed roughly against his chest, unable to speak from his hand gripping my jaw so tightly.

"I would bite your lips so they bled and I would make you scream."

A small sound of panic escaped from my clenched teeth as I tried pushing him away. He didn't budge. Instead he pressed his torso against mine, pinning my hands between us. With my hands on his bare chest, I could feel his heart beating fast.

Who knew he actually had a heart?

My breathing quickened as I felt his hot tongue sliding down my neck and flicking lightly over my collar bone.

"Please..." I whimpered through clenched teeth.

"Mm, 'please' what? Please more?"

His hand that wasn't grasping my jaw moved roughly to my waist and he slid his palm up my shirt and roughly slid his hand down to my hip until he could catch my leg behind the knee and yank my leg around his body. I gasped as he slammed his hips into me and I felt the hardness there.

"Don't," I begged.

He moaned against my neck and I felt his teeth run along my flesh. Then, just as suddenly as it all had started, it stopped. He pulled his face away from mine and let go of my jaw. I stared into his eyes, searching, but I couldn't find anything there.

He ground himself roughly against me once more before letting go of my leg.

I was about to let out the breath I had been holding when he yanked me forward by the shoulders and roughly threw me onto the bed.

I felt myself begin to hyperventilate as he approached the edge of the bed and loomed at the foot of it.

I scooted all the way back in an attempt to get as far away from him as I could.

He grinned but did not come any closer. "Good. Now you're finally starting to look afraid. I was worried that you believed that you could hold no respect for the legion, or me, at all. I would ask that you behave yourself when we get to the Fort as most there are less tolerant than I am. Now get some sleep."

I curled my legs up to my chest and watched him as he laid himself next to me and closed his eyes.

After several minutes when his breathing had slowed, I shifted to attempt to get off the bed and away from him.

His hand shot out and clenched my wrist. "Don't even think about it. Unless you want me to act on my previous threats, I suggest you go to bed and I promise not to hurt you."

Trembling slightly, I did as I was told and laid down with him still tightly gripping I wrist.

He scooted closer and curled his body around mine again and wrapped both arms around me. "Good night, dear Courier."


	17. Chapter 17: Don't Let Me

**Lol. Every time I think of "Nobody" I thing of the Odyssey memes about Odysseus calling himself by the name "Nobody" and whatnot. So I wanted to call you Odysseus. Lol. &amp;I'm really really glad that you like my work! ;u;**

* * *

I woke up to Vulpes lightly shaking me awake.

"Get up," He whispered. "We need to head out soon."

I lay on the bed, bleary eyed and stared up at him. I noticed from his wet hair that he had taken a shower. I scooted to the edge of the bed, placing my feet on the ground.

Once as I tried putting weight on my legs, my muscles gave and I found myself falling. Vulpes reached out and caught me, gripping me tightly to his chest in an attempt to keep me upright.

"Are you alright?" He asked, actually sounding concerned.

I didn't answer at first, my vision spinning and my stomach churning. I tried to calm myself down but I could only hear my erratic breathing. Then I focused on another sound I heard. Vulpes' heart. I listened intently, waiting for the dizzy spell to wear off as the steady, strong sound calmed my nerves.

I stood back up, gently pushing him away.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "I'm fine now."

"What happened?" He asked, his voice and face now emotionless again.

I shook my head. "I feel so tired..."

"Did you drink too much last night?"

"No... I should be fine..." I placed my hands on the bed frame to help me maneuver my way to the bathroom. "Maybe some hot water will help."

"If I hear you fall, I don't care if you're naked, I'm coming in there."

I could hear the faint smile in his voice but could also hear something else. Concern? Guilt? I waved my hand dismissively at him, not turning around to let him see my expression.

I let the hot water run over my body, feeling my muscles relax. I hadn't realized how tense being around Vulpes was making me.

"Baby, he's bad news."

I jerked up and tried to look for the source of the sound.

There was no one in the room.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, glancing around nervously.

It had sounded like Benny's voice.

Shaking now, I dressed quickly, clipping my armor into place and brushing my hair quickly.

I rushed out of the bathroom and stumbled into Vulpes for the second time that morning.

"Jesus fuck. What the hell?!" I licked my lip where I had bit it roughly. It was bleeding.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." His cool eyes were locked on me. "I heard you making a lot of noise in there, so I came to check on you."

"Sorry, I'm dressed already." I tried to step around him, but he caught my wrist and spun me into his chest. "Would you stop it already? I'm only interested in guys who are interested in actually dating me. Not tying me up and torturing me."

He chuckled and tilted my head up with a hand gently around my throat.

"Not this again," I spat, gripping his wrist tightly and trying to shove him away.

He silenced me by pressing his lips to mine and gently sucking the blood off of my lip.

My heart picked up pace once more and I shivered as stepped away.

"Are you all set to go?" His eyes were shining triumphantly.

"Yeah," I whispered, furious that my voice didn't come out stronger and angrier.

* * *

We walked for a few hours, sweat beading up on my brow.

"We should find a place to rest and eat," Vulpes suggested, turning his cool gaze on me.

I nodded, my thumbs hooked through my pack straps.

We found a spot under an overhanging rock and relaxed, grateful to be out of the sun. We ate for a bit until we were satisfied and I curled up against a rock face.

I dug through my bag, looking for my knife to scrape the dirt off of a piece of my armor, but couldn't find it.

I searched, even patting myself down to be sure, but I couldn't find it. I frowned.

"Is everything alright?" Came Vulpes' cool and disinterested response. It still unnerved me how gentle and soothing the sound of his voice was.

"I can't find my knife..." I shuffled around in my bag some more for effect.

"Did you leave it at the motel?" He asked in a disinterested tone.

"I don't know..." I kicked my bag away, irritated. "God it's so fucking hot."

"You really ought to take better care of your equipment and not misplace it like that."

"Yeah, I know," I growled. I leaned back with my eyes closed, trying to end the conversation and was shocked when I felt something cool and wet placed on my forehead.

I jerked my eyes open to see that Vulpes had laid a rag over my head that he had soaked with water from his canteen.

"Thanks," I murmured, closing my eyes again and enjoying the soothing feeling.

I felt myself getting sleepy. "I'm tired," I whispered with my eyes still closed.

"Then sleep," Vulpes murmured from somewhere nearby. "You've been very tired lately, are you feeling alright? Or is this just how you normally are?"

I made a grunt in acknowledgement that I heard him, but I was out in seconds.

By the time I woke up, a couple of hours had gone by and Vulpes had already packed up our equipment again.

"Honestly," He growled. "How do you even get by without having someone to take care of you all the time. You're like a child that needs to be cleaned up after."

I rubbed my forehead, feeling the same fuzziness that I had felt this morning and yesterday morning. "I would have helped had you woken me up."

He didn't say anything as he handed me my pack and swung his over his shoulder.

"I'm hoping to arrive in Cotton Wood Cove by sundown. We can stay the night there and arrive at the Fort sometime tomorrow morning."

I shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable about staying the night at a Legion camp.

I slung my rifle over my shoulder and tucked the now dry washcloth in my pocket, watching the heat shimmer off the road in the distance.

I felt a gentle nudge on my arm and Vulpes led me towards the road, my mind seeming to fade in and out of awareness.

It was because of this that when I heard Vulpes hiss at me to get down, I didn't respond initially. After he whispered it for the second time and jerked my hand to yank me to the ground, I let out a yelp and he clapped his other hand over my mouth, peering over a rock at whatever he had initially spotted.

I came back to myself and realized what was going on and instantly went still in his arms. Satisfied, he let me go and I joined him to check on what he had seen.

He let out a string of curses.

Three cazadores were headed our way, their antennae twitching furiously as their long legs scrambled over the dust to rush towards our location.

Vulpes pulled out his gun and aimed and fired, hitting the first one in the head and taking it out.

I aimed my rifle, lining up the shot and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. I cocked it again and fired once more. Nothing. I checked the ammo, it was loaded. My heart leapt into my throat as the insects came closer.

"Vulpes," I squeaked. "There's something wrong with my gun."

He grunted in acknowledgement and fired two times at another cazadore. And the remaining cazadore came towards me.

I backed up rapidly, tripping in a pothole in the road and feeling the asphalt hard against my back. I blinked several times to see the cazador hovering just over me. I gasped, trying to wiggle away, but felt it's stinger impale me in the thigh and then again in the hip.

I let out a cry as I instantly felt the burning pain.

Three shots rang out in the silence and I felt the weight of the bug land on my legs.

Crawling on my elbows, I dragged myself out from under it and kicked it off with my good leg. The other one felt like liquid iron had been injected under the skin and was burning its way out of my flesh.

Vulpes ran over to me as I was peeling away the waistband of my armor to check where I had been stabbed in the hip.

The wide hole was welling up dark blood and was oozing thick red chunks of something that I didn't even want to question.

I heard a hissed intake of breath as Vulpes made it over to my side. I gently let go of my pants and felt the material press painfully into my wound.

Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth and breathed for a moment before opening my eyes and looking up at Vulpes, standing over me with concern on his normally cool face.

His jaw was tensed and his brows were slightly knitted, though he was trying to hide his expression and not worry me.

"Fuck," I whispered, clutching at my thigh and hip simultaneously and closing my eyes again. "Do you have any antivenom?"

"No," Came his calm voice and I nodded, pretending to stay calm, refusing to open my eyes.

Suddenly I felt the world sway beneath me. I opened my eyes to find Vulpes had scooped me up and was now carrying me _and our packs_ back the way we'd come.

I didn't protest, seeing as it would be pointless and I just tried to relax, slowing my heart rate and thus the spread of the venom.

I felt myself getting dizzy and tired again but fought it off as best as I could. I focused on the sound of Vulpes's breathing and heart beat as well as the crunching of his footsteps over the gravel.

The sun felt too hot and my body began to feel feverish. And this had nothing to do with the simple desert heat.

"If I die, make sure everyone at the Lucky 38 knows I care about them," I whispered, closing my eyes as the clouds above me began to spin and change color.

There was no response, just a slight increase in his pace.

The rhythmic jarring of his walking kept sending stabs of pain through my entire left side until they slowly began to go numb.

Just before everything went black, I thought I heard Vulpes say, "I'm sorry. This is my fault."


	18. Chapter 18: You're a Setback

**Soooo, I hope you all like the story so far! Let me know in a review please c:**

* * *

When I woke up, I was laying in my motel room in Novac. I briefly wondered if everything had been a dream and I would find Vulpes berating me once as he knew I had awoken.

Instead I found him sitting on the couch, jaw tense and staring out the window.

I gingerly felt my leg and found it bandaged but still sore.

"Vulpes?" I croaked out and swallowed, trying again. "Hey, Vulpes?" My voice came out stronger this time and he turned to me, his face instantly clearing of any emotion as he put on a disinterested and bored face.

"You're awake," He stated blandly.

"Yeah," I muttered, pushing myself up into a sitting position. I bent my left leg to ensure that it still worked.

"The doctor here patched you up and you've been sleeping for a whole day," He drawled in a bored tone. "This will set us back quite a bit because you still aren't in any position to travel and my Lord will be most... displeased." He fixed his eyes on me and I felt as if he was trying to blame me for the whole ordeal.

"Sorry my gun jammed," I growled.

"Like I said... you need to take better care of your equipment." He stood and walked past the bed and I could hear the sound of the fridge opening.

He returned a moment later with an apple and a bottle of Nuka Cola. I took them gratefully, feeling my stomach growl at the thought of food.

I bit into the apple and watched him with measured eyes, trying to guess what he was thinking.

"We're going to have to stay here for a few days until your leg heals, and even then it will be iffy if you can walk with how sore it will probably be. Caesar was expecting us much sooner..."

"Couldn't you just run off and tell him that I gotta reschedule?"

"If I returned without you he would be even more displeased, particularly since, unlike you, I am expected to be competent."

I glared at him as I chewed the apple, biting around the bruised parts.

"Do you know what happened with your gun?"

"Nope," I grumbled, picking a bit of skin off the apple. "I just woke up." I grinned, irritated at the way he was behaving.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll see what I can do about getting them fixed. In the meantime, you should rest."

"Great, do I have to be stuck in bed the whole time?" I grumbled.

"That would be preferable as I want you to recover as quickly as possible so that I may return home and be free of you."

I glared again, my irritation growing. "Don't you have someone else to piss off?" I grumbled, throwing my apple core at him.

He glared fiercely and stood up and left the room, leaving me alone for the first time in days.

I kicked the covers off of me and stood uncertainly. My left leg still hurt quite a bit, so I had to put all of my weight on my right leg.

Limping, I leaned against the wall as I made my way to the bathroom, wanting to take a hot shower.

As I peeled off my clothes and bandages, it suddenly dawned on me that these weren't the clothes I had been wearing yesterday. My face went crimson as I thought of Vulpes undressing me while I slept. Or had the doctor done it? I prayed that it was the doctor and not him, as I swallowed, trying to forget about it.

I turned the water on full hot and seated myself in the tub, waiting for the water to fill up the cold ceramic. I placed my toes under the hot running water and sighed as I felt the water slowly relaxing me.

Had I imagined Vulpes looking concerned? Or was his tense jaw due solely to irritation? I sighed, wondering why I even cared and dipped my head under the water, running my fingers back through my hair.

My thumb brushed my temple, feeling the scar that Benny had left there and my body tensed involuntarily. Irritated, I roughly rubbed soap into my hair and wondered if I could convince Vulpes to simply tell Caesar that I was incompetent and not to bother with asking me for any favors.

I rinsed off and stepped out of the water, my leg feeling much better after soaking in the soapy bath.

I heard a knocking on the apartment door. I tugged on my clothes quickly and ran my hands through my hair sloppily and exited the bathroom.

Vulpes still wasn't back and I was kind of grateful for that.

There was a knock at the door again and I rushed to open it, moving as quickly as my leg would allow.

I flung the door open to see Manny standing there, his red beret making my heart squeeze for a second, thinking of Boone.

I swallowed. "Hi," I squeaked, trying for a casual smile.

"Hey," He replied. "Mind if I come in? I'm on my break."

I nodded, hobbling out of the way and back towards the bed.

"I heard you were in pretty nasty shape from a cazador sting." He seated himself casually on the bed next to me.

"Yeah," I grumbled, rubbing my neck.

"Who's that guy you're traveling with?"

"Oh, Lucy?" I grinned at Veronica's nickname for him. "He's some guy I met in Vegas who's just been tagging along," I lied smoothly, patting myself on the back for staying so calm.

Manny nodded. "So what about Boone?"

My grin faded once as the question was out of his mouth. "He's at the Lucky 38. I had some things I had to take care of."

"I've been hearing about you on the radio," I noticed his eyes lingered on my throat and I remembered the faded hickey there. "You're kind of famous. Taking out Fiends, helping the NCR... It's no wonder Boone left with you. At first I thought he just wanted to leave with the first chick who gave him the time of day."

There was a bitterness in his voice that made my hackles rise. "No, Boone's not like that," I grumbled. "You should know that."

He sighed. "So did you guys find Carla, or is he still looking for her up in the Strip?"

For a moment, I just gaped at him, then I shut my jaw and swallowed, taking a deep breath. Right. He didn't know. "No, he hasn't found Carla."

"Well at least he has you to keep him company." His pointed to my neck.

"This wasn't from him," I said icily. "He still loves his wife."

"Right, even though she was a bitch."

"I think you should leav-"

The door opened and Vulpes strode in, carrying my guns with him.

"Oh," He said coolly, eyes boring into Manny's skull.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to make a pass at your girl," Manny stood and shoved his way past Vulpes, shutting the door behind him.

My fists were still clenched and I glared down at the ground. How could Manny think so poorly of Boone? Boone had never done anything to deserve that. He sounded like a jealous lover...

I froze at that thought. Did Manny have feelings for Boone. I mulled the idea over while Vulpes set my guns down carefully on the dresser.

"Do I even want to know?"

"He's a friend of Boone's..." I replied, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Friendly," He kicked off his shoes.

"He's not usually like this. Usually he's pretty funny and nice."

Vulpes didn't respond and I laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to picture Boone and Manny in first recon together.

Vulpes' figure suddenly blocked my vision as he leaned over me with his hands supporting his weight on either side of my hips.

"I brought you some chems, if you want them. Some Med-x to help the pain and another stimpack if you think you need it."

I shrugged, gripping his wrists and trying to push him away.

I was worried he was going to try something, but he simply nipped my ear and whispered, "I'm glad you're okay," before he pulled back and went to use the bathroom.

I sat there dazed, my thoughts jumping in multiple directions at once. What the hell was his problem?

I punched the bed, irritated at his sudden mood swings and his mock flirting with me.

_It won't work on me,_ I thought even as my heart was beating too fast in my chest.


	19. Chapter 19: Warrior Boys

**I guess I'm just writing a lot today. Here's another chapter. More Vulpes goodness.**

* * *

While I recovered, I spent a lot of time arguing with Vulpes over the ways of the Legion. At first he had been pissed at me for criticizing his ways so vehemently, but after a while he realized that there was no point in arguing with me and simply rolled his eyes whenever I brought up the topic. I knew I still wasn't getting through to him, but I felt that I had to at least try.

Apparently he felt the same way that I did, because despite how many times I tried to make him leave me alone, he still kept up his flirtatious taunts. After a few days and spending hours and hours together, I figured, or hoped, that if he wanted to rape me, he would have done so already. Unless he was simply following his boss's orders. I still tried to not let my guard down, although his attempts weren't bothering me as much. They annoyed me, but I wasn't scared of him anymore. I felt like maybe I was starting to get to know him. But a part of me doubted that despite our arguing eventually tapering off and turning into joking.

I wondered what he might have been like if he were to have never joined the Legion. I tried to ask him, but he simply ignored me and went into a rant about how naive and hopeful thinking would get me killed one day. Part of me figured he was right. I might wind up trusting the wrong person.

_Like him._

I blinked rapidly when I heard the voice. It was Benny's again and I growled inwardly, thinking that it was ironic as hell that I might be hearing his voice after he shot me.

"Do you think you'll be ready to go tomorrow morning?" Vulpes asked, peering over his book at me, his bare chest gleaming in the lamplight.

He always fucking slept in just his boxers and he insisted in sleeping in the bed with me and more than once I'd found him curled protectively around me. I was starting to think that he legitimately had feelings for me. Did Legionaries even have feelings? What would be the point in caring for a woman if you could just take her as a slave?

_That's why he's bad news baby._

I leaned back against the dresser. "Yeah, I'll be ready. If my leg gives me any trouble, you can just carry me."

I grinned at the glare he gave me.

I went to the fridge to get a beer and cracked it open.

"You're actually a lot heavier than you look."

"Excuse you!" I shouted, flinging the bottle opener at him which missed and landed behind the bed.

His lips were turned up in one of his rare non-aggressive smiles.

* * *

Vulpes had changed into his Legion armor just before we had gotten to Cotton Wood Cove and it was jarring to see him like that when the only other time I had seen him in Legion gear was at Nipton when I had first met him.

We walked in a shallow valley with crucified people everywhere.

My unease returned and I glanced over to see just how at ease Vulpes was with it all. I tried to not show any reaction.

My former thoughts that maybe he had a shred of humanity left evaporated.

_Told you so, baby._

I rounded a corner and a recruit rushed towards me, spear pointed at my throat.

"What business do you have in Cotton Wood Cove?" He demanded, then his facial expression changed when he must have seen Vulpes come into view. "Sir, I apologize."

Vulpes sighed and let out a bored, "Ave," before gesturing that I should follow him.

I followed him closely, not wanting to earn any unwanted attention as we walked into the camp.

There were several buildings but they had also set up tents on what clear ground they could find.

My hopes of not attracting attention were dashed when everyone gawked at the girl walking next to the head of the Fumentarii. I wondered if they thought I was a slave or something as they eyed me nervously.

Then I heard one whisper, "Isn't that the Courier?"

"You've been expected," Vulpes muttered, as if reading my thoughts.

I nodded and met each stare with level gazes of my own, refusing to be seen as weak to this pack of misogynistic-

"We'll be spending the night in the building here and I will have you share a room with me to ensure no Legionary attempts anything."

I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I was expecting him to be smiling mischievously, but he only retained his bored expression as he opened the door and waited for me to step inside.

Somewhere from down the hall, I heard a woman screaming and I placed my hand on the butt of my pistol, clenching my jaw and glaring at anyone we passed.

"Stop that," Vulpes scolded, yanking my hand away from my weapon. "The last thing we need is for you to be killed due to 'threatening behavior'."

I nodded, clenching my fists at my sides, trying to obtain the same cool level of detachment that Vulpes showed.

We had a meeting with the leader of the camp who pretended that I wasn't even there the whole time and then we ate dinner in the dining room, higher ranking legionaries staring at me openly, grinning savagely, but not daring to say anything to me with Vulpes nearby.

I had managed to mimic Vulpes' usual expression after a while of getting annoyed by the jeers from the men around me and I met their gazes with cold resentment in the form of an expressionless stare.

Vulpes had lost any of the personality he had gained over the course of my recovery and was now a boring and emotionless sociopath once more.

I conversed with him minimally, feeling unnerved by how quickly he could change. Was this just a front for the army? Or was it a front when he was interacting with me?

I didn't bother questioning sharing a bed with him yet again and threw myself under the covers the moment we got back to the room. I felt weary and was ready to simply sleep.

Vulpes chuckled and I gawked at the return of his emotion. It was seriously unnerving. "Being around the Legion is too much for you?"

"Fuck off," I growled, feeling my mood not improve one bit.

He scooted in close next to me, under the covers and flipped off the lamp. "Just know it's worse at the Fort, there are more slaves kept there and the higher ranking legionaries tend to be more... enthusiastic with their slaves." He grinned as he wrapped an arm around me and I didn't relax until he fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up a couple hours later, needing to use the bathroom.

Vulpes was laying on his side, turned away from me, so I didn't disturb him as I got up and padded softly to the door and opened it quietly, grabbing my knife before I exited.

The bathroom was only a little ways down the hall, and I noticed that someone had found it amusing to change the bathroom signs to say "Legionaries" on the men's room and "Slaves" on the women's room.

Begrudgingly, I picked the women's room, vowing to stab anyone who had anything to say about it.

When I exited, I almost ran into someone and stopped just before my nose connected with their chest.

I looked up to see a tall, bearded man glaring down at me. I stood, waiting for him to walk around me.

"Aren't you going to move out of my way?" He growled.

I glared. "Fine, asshole." I went to sidestep around him, but he grabbed my arm and jerked me towards him.

"What did you just say?"

I swallowed thickly as he brought his face close to me, his eyes glittering darkly. I refused to back down. I dropped my knife into my free hand and slashed towards his chest, cutting open a large gash that he barely reacted to. He only tightened his grip on my arm as he flung me into a wall, causing me to cry out and drop my knife.

"Fucking let go, you ape!" I snarled, kicking out, aiming towards his groin, but he caught my foot and twisted, forcing me to turn my back as he held me by my arm and foot.

I glanced under my leg and forcefully grabbed his man parts with my free hand. He jerked away violently, shoving me towards the ground as he released his grip on me.

I scrambled to pick up my knife and glanced towards the hallway to where my room was. There were several legionaries who had heard the commotion and were standing out in the hall, cheering on the man to "Teach that bitch who's boss!"

I glared, disgusted and coiled my muscles, ready for a fight.

"Stop!"

At first I didn't recognize the voice as I had never heard Vulpes raise his voice.

I turned to see him angrily storming towards me. He yanked the knife from my hand and threw it to the ground, grabbing a fistful of my hair and dragging me all the way back to the room.

I yelped in pain as he threw me onto the bed with a forceful tug of my hair.

"What did I tell you about behaving yourself?" He snarled.

I backed towards the opposite edge of the bed, tense and ready for a fight. "I just went to use the bathroom," I growled, fighting to keep my voice level. "I almost ran into him and he slammed me into a wall in response."

Vulpes glowered at me for a moment, considering what I had said. "You had better not try to fight when we get to the Fort."

"So long as you promise to keep those animals away from me," I muttered, relaxing as he smoothed out his furious expression and switched to a less threatening stance.

"Duly noted." Suddenly a grin crossed his face. "I could put a slave tunic on you and give you a collar and leash for me to carry. No one would dare touch my property."

I rolled my eyes, secretly relieved that he was back to joking with me. "No thanks. As tempting as it is for me to be your slave for the night," I faked a seductive pout. "I'm gonna have to pass. The torture thing isn't really for me."

He laughed and sat himself back down, ready to sleep again.

I noticed that he didn't dress in only his boxers this time. He was wearing a tunic that matched the legion fashion a lot better than his usual pajamas. The tunic came down to cover his... man parts and I couldn't help but to wonder if he was wearing anything underneath.

I shut down that line of thinking and laid myself down, rolling my back to face him automatically. I didn't protest when he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around me. I almost relaxed, but then I remembered how he had dragged me down the hallway by my hair, and suddenly I couldn't sleep.


	20. Chapter 20: the Roman Legion

**It's really nice to have an actual plan for where the story's going, it helps me to keep motivated, I guess. Just a future warning, there may be dirty chapters somewhere in the future, I will write a warning above if it's going to be explicit sex scenes and stuff, that way you won't have to read if you don't want to.**

**Also, Nobody: Vulpes is a weird character. He kind of has a personality, but then he's also a legionary. I feel like he's too smart to actually buy into any of that stuff completely, but he just enjoys causing pain. There's a reason why he's being so caring at that point in time. But that will be revealed later. Hehe. Anyhow, I hope you aren't opposed to dirty scenes, because there may be some in the future. I'm not sure yet.**

* * *

The next morning, I actually woke up before he did.

I took far too much pleasure in shaking him awake and receiving a glare in response.

"You do it to me all the time," I replied with a shrug.

He threw the pillow at me and got up and dressed.

Once we were out of the building, Vulpes made a detour before taking me to the dock. I groaned as he led me towards a crucified man.

Then after a while, I recognized his face. It was the man I had gotten into a fight with last night.

I glanced wildly at Vulpes but he simply said nothing.

I pursed my lips. I knew that it was Vulpes who had ordered him be crucified, and I shuddered at the thought. Was it a message that he had protected me? Or a threat of what would happen should I step out of line again?

The trip to the Fort was tedious and annoying. Vulpes put on the same front he had with the rest of the legionaries and wouldn't hold a normal conversation with me.

I tried to converse with Lucullus, but it was no use either. They were both just boring legionaries with no other thought than being true to Caesar.

Irritated, I began writing down the past few days events in my pipboy, something that I hadn't had the chance to do with Vulpes constantly around me. However, now he was too concerned with his image to attempt to demand what I was doing.

A few times some mirelurks would swim too close to us and I would shoot them with my rifle, thankful that Vulpes had fixed it for me a few days ago.

I realized that I had improved as a sniper from what Boone had taught me after I killed the fifth mirelurk without any issues. My aim had improved significantly. Although the rocking of the boat didn't make it any easier.

I noticed Vulpes watching me as I reloaded my gun and I gave him a questioning look.

He didn't say anything, just kept his gaze fixed on me. Sighing, I glanced back out towards the cliff sides around me, watching the morning sun light up everything in a brilliant orange.

When we got to the Fort, I had reached a calm and relaxed state and couldn't even be bothered with the jeers and stares I received from those around me.

I kept my face completely calm.

"By order of Lord Caesar, you must relinquish all weapons. They will be returned upon your departure."

I glared at the legionary for a moment before glancing at Vulpes, looking for affirmation.

_Really? You're going to look to him for what you should do? _I tried to ignore _his_ voice in my head, vowing to talk to a doctor about this as soon as possible. _You do realize that he's only going to tell you to do what they want. You don't seriously trust him, do you, baby?_

I handed over my pistol and my rifle.

Vulpes raised an eyebrow at me and cast a look down at my feet.

Sighing, I pulled my knife out of my boot and handed that over as well.

"Is that all?" The legionary asked Vulpes.

"I believe so." He glanced at me, a gleam in his eyes. "Unless we need to pat you down to check?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know that's everything." I tried to keep the snotty tone out of my voice.

"Oh really?" Asked someone from nearby, laughing and grinning wolfishly.

Vulpes didn't respond, much to my relief, and we headed through the camp and up a hill.

There were Legion soldiers training all around us. I even witnessed a few slaves carrying unbearably heavy looking loads on their backs.

"Can't you just be civilized and use a brahmin? They can carry more."

Vulpes chuckled. "Don't worry, if you were a slave, I'd put your talents to much better use."

I pressed my lips into a thin and unimpressed line. "Hmmm."

When we entered the main section of the camp, a weight settled in my chest.

There were so many tents... I had known that there were a lot of soldiers in the Legion, but it was jarring to see so many with my own eyes.

We stepped into the tent and I was greeted by a dog barking.

Vulpes led me forward and kneeled before a bald man sitting bored in a throne. "The Courier," Vulpes simply stated.

"Rise Vulpes. It certainly took you long enough," Caesar grumbled, talking to Vulpes while not taking his eyes off of me.

"There were a few setbacks," Vulpes admitted.

"That's no excuse," Caesar growled, sounding more bored than irritated.

"Sorry, I got stabbed twice by a cazadore and I refused to go any further until I received medical treatment, sir." The tent went quiet at my indignant tone and I glanced to Vulpes to see him glaring at me. I blinked, irritated that he wasn't more grateful for my help.

"The great Courier doesn't carry antivenom with her on a regular basis? I heard you studied medicine for a time." Caesar challenged, not bothered by my tone at all.

"Not when I'm unable to purchase any from a merchant when the head of your Fumentarii does not let me stop due to a pressing deadline."

Caesar laughed. "I'll take that into consideration. Do you know why I brought you here, Courier?"

"Nope. Vulpes wouldn't tell me." I crossed my arms, my face actually showing no resentment at all. Caesar was... charismatic...

Caesar rolled his shoulders and sighed. "Well I brought you here because of this fellow," He waved a hand and two guards dragged a prisoner forward.

"Benny?" I asked, my eyes going wide.

He chuckled. "Pussycat! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Caesar waved his hand again and the guards punched him in the stomach. "I didn't say you could speak to her."

I glared.

"He tells me that there's something important, and dangerous, under the Fort here."

"Does he?" I turned my glare at Benny who looked at me helplessly.

"I want it destroyed." Caesar continued.

A muscle in my jaw twitched. "You brought me all the way here for that? Couldn't you have Vulpes do it? He's pretty fucking smart."

"We didn't have as much knowledge as we do now when we sent Vulpes after you. We couldn't access the bunker and we didn't know what we were dealing with."

"Didn't think of hacking the terminal?" I growled. I felt Vulpes tense beside me. "I've had to deal with this motherfucker for a week straight." Vulpes glared fiercely.

Caesar still didn't seem affected by my attitude. "Do these people look computer literate to you, Courier?"

I blinked. He had a point.

"All I want, is for you to take the chip, go down there, destroy it, and I'll pay you. I'll even let you decide how he dies." He waved a hand to Benny.

Benny looked up at me hopefully.

"Okay," I sighed.

"Wonderful," Caesar waved his hand dismissively. "Vulpes, go with her and make sure she does it. I'm sorry you've had to deal with her for a week straight."

I rolled my eyes when Caesar used my own words against me, but I smiled at the irony of it, not minding.

I offered a wave at Benny, feeling my heart sink at his hopeless expression and black eye.

"They aren't really going to kill him," I asked Vulpes once as we were out of the tent. "Are they?"

"I don't know. It really depends on your behavior. At this point I assume Caesar doesn't know that you and him slept together and, understandably, just sees him as the man who shot you and assumes, understandably, that you would want revenge." He led me towards a metal door jutting out of the earth. "Honestly, I had assumed that you had just fucked him and killed him. I didn't think you were stupid enough to let him live."

I gritted my teeth. "Nothing went according to plan, Lucy, dear."

I saw his jaw tense at my using that name for him in front of everyone else.

Once as we were in the bunker, alone, he slammed me up against a wall.

"Are you trying to get us both killed?"

"Not really, but I'm just a profligate, so it's understandable that I would behave this way. Caesar knew that when he invited me. Besides, he invited a woman, they're like, lower than low, what could he expect?"

He gritted his teeth. "_Behave_." He hissed.

"I'm not really trying to act this way, everyone just keeps bringing it out in me. They're infuriating and I have no idea how you handle these neanderthals. You're way too smart to really believe all of this, right?"

He let me go, cold eyes measuring mine. "One of the major reasons I'm here is because I enjoy what I do. Remember that, dear Courier."

"Right," I grunted, pushing past him. "Let's go."

* * *

"House wasn't too happy that I took out his bots. But there wasn't much I could do about it," I muttered. "I had Vulpes on my tail the entire time."

Benny sighed, tugging at the ropes around his wrists. They looked like they hurt. "I really wish you hadn't done that, baby. We could have fought our way out of here if we had all that firepower. Did you know why I came here in the first place?"

"Because you're stupid and you think you're as capable as me?"

"Baby, that hurts."

"Sorry, I'm in a piss poor mood. Continue."

"I wanted to activate those bots and use them to protect Vegas. No one would have been able to tear the walls down, not even the Legion, if we had them."

"Oh," I muttered.

"Yeah, 'oh'. Look, we can still try to make it all work. If you keep the chip, you can still upgrade the bots in the strip and they might do good enough. But I dunno."

"Why'd you shoot me for the chip if House wanted the bots active just like you did? You could have just..."

"Because I don't think House should be running the shots."

"You...?" I furrowed my brow.

"Listen, baby. I don't really know if I'm going to make it out of this alive, I reckon you're pretty pissed at me, but I want someone to take on my legacy."

I gaped at him. "I... I was going to ask for them to let you go."

"You... were?" He let out a huff of breath. "I thought I was pretty lucky the night we hooked up at the Tops, but this is..." He shook his head. "You're the best, angel."

I shrugged and shifted my weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Yeah, it's nothing..."

Awkwardly I meandered back over to Caesar to tell him I had made my decision about Benny.

"You want to free him?" Caesar asked, blinking at me incredulously.

"Yes," I said and then as an after thought, "Please."

"You want to free the man who shot you? I'd have thought you'd want revenge."

"Well, things change. Dig?"

He shook his head and nodded at a guard next to him who moved to cut Benny's ropes.

"Does this mean I have to take that insufferable oaf all the way back to Vegas too?" Vulpes asked me, his voice like gravel.

"Hell no," Benny grunted, standing and dusting himself off. "I'm getting the hell outta here." He eyed me nervously. "You're welcome to join me baby."

"No," I said automatically, without thinking.

Vulpes looked at me, surprised and Benny nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "I suppose I'd slow you down, huh?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"Well, if you're ever in Vegas, baby, look me up. I'll show you one hell of a time. It'll be the Tops!" He grinned at his own joke before rushing out of the tent.

"I would have expected you to travel with him," Vulpes muttered. "After all, you clearly like him."

"Honestly?" I sighed, noting the edge in his voice. "I don't know how I feel about him."

His eyes looked doubtful and he glanced at the faded bruise on my neck. It was pretty much gone, but I knew he was staring at the spot where it would have been. Was he jealous? Or was he disgusted at me for being a profligate whore? I decided it was the second one and ran a hand through my hair.

"So..." I began, rocking on my heels and the balls of my feet. "Is there any food around here? And after that can we leave?"

"I was hoping to stay the night after all the traveling we've done lately. I'd like a chance to rest up."

"Really?" I groaned. "Do we have to?"

I thought I detected a faint smile on his lips. "Yes. We have to. But you didn't behave yourself even once."

I let out a heavy sigh. "I change my mind. I'm going back without you."

"A female traveling alone in Legion territory is bound to be attacked or claimed as property. I wouldn't if I were you."

"Ha. Ha." I intoned in a bored voice. "So, I guess I'm stuck here a little longer." I rubbed my hands together eagerly. "This is my chance to scope the place out for weaknesses!"

"We're leaving now and you don't get any of our food."

"Hey!" I whined as Vulpes dragged me after him towards the Fort exit.


	21. Chapter 21: Honestly

**My cat is seeing snow for the first time and it is absolutely adorable. Also, thank you guys so much for the reviews! It all means so much to me! I'll try to respond more personally when I can. I'm just completely drained after moving into a new house and cleaning all the mouse droppings out of every cupboard. **

**Also, this is still going to be a Courier/Boone fanfic. I have this planned out how I'm going to do it. I'm aiming for a whole shit ton of bad things happening one after the other. So stay tuned.**

* * *

Since we left at the same time, Vulpes and I had to ride the boat all the way back with Benny.

I found myself hoping that Benny wouldn't bring up the events from the last time we had seen each other, and thankfully, he didn't. At least not for a while

Benny kept casting nervous glances at Vulpes, who kept his icy glare leveled on him.

I sighed, letting my feet drag in the water, enjoying the cool water.

"So, baby," Benny began but I had spotted another mirelurk and was aiming my rifle.

He sighed while he waited and I fired, killing it in one clean shot.

"Wow, guess I'm glad our situations weren't reversed," Benny commented, his eyes fixing on my scoped hunting rifle.

I shrugged, a grin on my face. "Yeah. I would have made sure the job was done right and with one bullet, not two. By the way, thanks for that." I rolled my eyes, enjoying the way he squirmed nervously at my sarcasm.

"Fuck. I already said I was sorry. Don't know what else I can do for you, baby. I already gave you my body."

I rolled my eyes, my cheeks heating. I refused to look at Vulpes. I wanted to ask about the strip. If he was really going to attempt to take it over, but I stopped myself, realizing that there were still two legionaries within earshot who would love to hear about potential political plans they could take advantage of.

"So what are you gonna do now baby?" Benny asked, a grin on his face. "Your one goal is completed. You found me. Now what?"

I noticed Vulpes look up slightly at this. The movement was barely noticeable, but I was supposed to be a sniper for gods' sakes. "I don't really know. I've just been doing odd jobs for people every now and then."

"You could come back to Vegas with me. You and I could be a date."

I shrugged. "No. I need to figure shit out. Sorry."

"No, I get it. You've gotta get back to your friends on the coast."

I froze. "What?"

"When I met you, didn't you say that you had some friends on the coast who were waiting for you?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell him that he was confused and delusional. But I knew that it was me who was delusional. I just opened and closed my mouth.

"You said they were closer than family. That they-"

"I honestly don't remember saying that," I snapped. "The only thing I remember about my life is getting shot in the head. Anything after that is completely gone." My tone had picked up a cold, biting edge.

Vulpes had glanced over at me again.

Benny froze, staring at me for a while. Then he ran a hand through his hair. "Shit." He ran a hand over his mouth. "Fuck." He finally clenched his hands in his lap. "I'm so sorry baby..."

I looked away. "It's whatever." My tone was cold. Then I sighed, letting it go. "Did I say where on the coast?"

"No, sorry." He was watching me carefully.

I nodded.

We rode the rest of the trip in silence.

* * *

When we landed, Benny cast an anxious glance around the crucified bodies and legionaries. "Thanks for not killing me. Again." He said, looking like he was going to lean in for a kiss or a hug.

I took a step back.

He smiled, understanding. "I'll see you around maybe, sweetheart."

I nodded. "Yeah, eventually I have to go back to the Lucky 38."

"Hope House doesn't get too pissed at you."

"He's... already pissed."

"Well shit. Good luck with that one."

I laughed. "Thanks."

And just like that, he was gone. He walked, no, bolted, out of the camp, avoiding legionaries and getting as far away as he could, as fast as he could.

And it was just Vulpes and I.

Lucullus was busying himself getting food after the long trip.

"I honestly don't understand what you see in him." He spoke in that bored drawl I had become so used to over the last week.

"Yeah. Me neither. But I guess that's what happens when you drink nearly an entire bottle of liquor and are as sexually frustrated as me." I chuckled. "You don't know how hard it is to find a guy who actually knows what he's doing and how to get a girl off."

Vulpes didn't say anything at first. Then he took a step closer and whispered, "I bet I could," With a dark look of determination in his eyes.

I stumbled backwards. "D-did you wanna eat before we head out!?" My voice was too loud. "I know we've just been sitting for a while, but..." I let my sentence hang in the air, a dark blush covering my entire face.

He nodded. "I haven't had anything since breakfast."

I followed him, my entire body tense and my hands clenched nervously at my sides.

* * *

I kicked a stone as we made our way back to Novac, the sky brilliantly blazing orange.

"So you really don't remember anything?" Vulpes had relaxed since we had left the camp and Benny was forgotten about.

"I remember a few things from the night I was shot." I shrugged and watched the stone skitter across the sand. "I remember..." I sucked in a breath. I didn't even know why I cared so much about what Vulpes thought of me. Well, maybe I did know... "I remember seeing Benny standing in front of me, giving me his 'I'm sorry" speech." I scoffed. "He was _polite_ about shooting me."

"...so you fucked him." Vulpes said, indicating that that was what he imagined I should continue the sentence with.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my god. I was drunk. Obviously sober me didn't go with him."

He fixed his eyes on me. "Indeed."

"Why the fuck do you care so much anyway?"

"I just want to know if you're into men who hurt you. For future reference for myself." He grinned and I couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

"Yeah, whatever."

I had figured the topic was dropped as we walked in silence for a while, but then Vulpes blurted out, "He seemed to like you though. After all, he wanted you to go with him."

I shrugged. "Oh come on," I flashed him a wide, cocky grin. "You know I'm pretty hot." I laughed, trying to play at his game of always flirting with me.

He didn't respond, only offered me a faint smile.

"So why do you act one way around me and another way around everyone else in the Legion?"

He sighed, the smile gone from his face. "I must maintain a professional image. I need to be seen as intimidating and respected."

"Even by your fellow legionaries?"

"They need to know that I wouldn't hesitate to punish them if they step out of line. They can't get too comfortable with me. Kind of like you are." He placed a hand on the small of my back and gently rubbed his thumb against the sliver of skin showing in between my shirt and pants.

"That's because you get too cozy with me." I pushed his hand away, feeling my cheeks heat.

"Most women would actually be terrified if I got too cozy with them. Yet here we are."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"But shouldn't you be?"

I shrugged staring off into the distance.

"I think you actually enjoy the attention."

"Huh?" I started, turning my head quickly to look at him. "No, I don't."

"Liar," He hissed and suddenly grabbed me, one hand around my waist, pressing me close to him, and the other fisted in my hair. "You know very well what I'm capable of, yet you feel so relaxed when I sleep next to you and you honestly haven't put up much of a fight on that matter. I could easily kill you or rape you. Or both. For those reasons alone, you should be terrified of me. Yet you seem to enjoy my company far more than that of that coward Benny's as you chose to stay with me instead of leaving with him. And you seem to enjoy every casual remark I make and you get flustered instead of angry every time I touch you." As if to prove a point, he gripped my hip and slid his hand roughly under my shirt.

I gaped at him for a moment before I composed myself. "Fuck off. So, what? Maybe I'm just a little lonely. So what if I like a little attention." I could feel the heat in my face again and turned my head away from him, not meeting his eyes.

"That sniper mongrel isn't enough for you."

"There isn't anything between Boone and I," I stated flatly, my flustered emotions evaporating for a second and my eyes fixing on his intensely burning ones. For some reason I was bothered that he had brought him into this.

"Good."

"Good?"

"I don't like sharing." He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to mine, kissing me for real for the first time ever.

My heart hitched and began pounding in my chest as his arm tugged me closer and held me tightly against him.

I knew I should fight. I knew I should make him stop. But he was right. I was enjoying this too much. I just wanted to relax in his arms and enjoy it. But I forced myself to push him away, gasping for air as he let me go, looking triumphant.

I didn't speak to him for the rest of the walk, my mind spinning and reeling. I kept thinking of how he had held me close and how fiercely he had kissed me. I couldn't even meet his eye until my heart stopped pounding.


	22. Chapter 22: Hidden Desires

**So, this chapter contains adult content. You have been warned**

* * *

When we got back to Novac, I led the way to my room nervously, nearly tripping on the stairs on my way up. I fumbled with the lock, knowing that he was going to pull some other stunt and I didn't know if my mental state could handle the games he was playing with me.

I heard the deadbolt slide into place as he shut the door behind me and I set down my pack, my hands trembling.

"You know what's coming next," He hissed into my ear as he pulled me to him so that my back was to his chest.

"We seriously shouldn't," I growled, trying to sound fierce, but he only laughed and slid a hand down my stomach and along my hip and back up until his hand rested just under my breast.

"This has been a long time coming."

I didn't argue that. "I'm seriously not into being tortured," I said instead, angling my face away from his, but this only exposed my neck which he began kissing, sending shivers down my spine.

"I'm not going to hurt you," He promised, sounding sincere.

I thought about it for a moment, but he spun me around quickly before I could decide what to say next.

I felt the dresser pressing into the small of my back, then he lifted me on it, gripping my legs behind the knees and moving in between them until I could feel his heat through our clothes as he pressed against me.

I stared into his eyes, not knowing what I saw there in their dark depths, but I felt something snap in me and I gave in.

He pressed his lips to mine and I inhaled sharply, catching his scent. He smelled of dust and something sharper, almost like a spice.

He grabbed my ass, pressing himself against me harder, groaning as he sensed that my resolve had broken.

"Finally," He hissed in my ear, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back so he could roughly bite and suck on my neck.

I let out a small whimper, gripping the lapels of his jacket in tightly clenched fists.

"I've wanted to fuck you since I witnessed the horror and resentment in your eyes when we first met," He murmured into my ear, biting at the lobe and tugging my jacket down to expose my bare shoulders. "I've imagined you screaming and crying my name so many times..."

He dragged his teeth across the bare flesh of my shoulder and then gripped both of my shoulders tightly and pulled them back, urging my breasts upward.

I watched as he trailed his mouth over my collar bone, flicking his tongue lightly over my skin before biting down at a spot just above my nipple.

I gasped and tried to push him away, squirming as he pulled me closer. He didn't break the skin though and only laughed at my reaction, biting my zipper and forcing it down, the material of my tank top being now the only thing that stood in his way. He easily maneuvered that aside and wrapped his lips around a nipple and sucked on it before flicking his tongue over it, his fingers bruising my shoulders where he held me in place.

I noticed him looking up at me and as our eyes met, he pressed his mouth roughly against mine again and roughly forced my jacket off before breaking the kiss only to yank my tank top over my head before pressing my entire bare torso to his body and sucking hard on the side of my neck.

I hissed out a breath, feeling the bruise already forming, but he didn't give me a chance to scold him. He picked me up roughly, my legs still wrapped around his hips, and carried me to the bed before setting me down and leaning his body over mine.

A dark wave of fear and anger rolled over me as I realized just how much I had wanted this and how much I had wanted him.

"Fuck you," I spat as one of his hands began unbuttoning my pants.

"Don't worry, you will get the chance. Soon. But first..." He yanked my pants down and threw them across the room like some hated thing.

I took a deep breath as I watched him remove his own shirt, his chest and flat stomach coming into view. Over the last week I had become familiar with the way his scars decorated his well muscled torso and I pressed my hands to him, feeling his hot skin under my finger tips. "Vulpes..." I whispered and he gripped my wrists in one hand, pinning them above my head, staring into my eyes intently.

I was too dazed to initially notice what he was doing but then noticed too late that he had taken off his belt.

"Wait," I gasped, but he ignored me and fastened the belt around my wrists, clipping it as tightly as it would go. I struggled against the leather as he leaned over me, looking triumphant.

"I can do whatever I want to you now," He whispered, and my heart squeezed with fear.

"Please," I begged, only earning a vicious grin from him.

My breathing picked up as I began to hyperventilate.

He deliberately placed his lips along my jaw, nibbling at the flesh there. My head swam.

I felt his hands sliding up and down my hips and the caresses elicited a low moan from me, which he answered with a satisfied rumble in his chest.

He trailed light kisses down my neck and stopped where my shoulder and neck joined, sucking and biting hard, leaving another mark of possession on my body.

I hissed, feeling his teeth almost break the skin. "Fuck, if you wanted people to know you were here, why don't you just carve your fucking name?!" I spat, regretting my words as soon as they were out of my mouth. Normally I would have thought them through. Normally I would have known better. But my mind was spinning and I couldn't think straight.

"That's not a bad idea," He chuckled, kissing one of my breasts before pulling a knife out of its sheath clipped to his pants.

"Wait!" I gasped, trying to use my bound hands to push him off while trying to wiggle away.

A sadistic laugh escaped from his throat and he gripped my hip, yanking me back into place and digging his erection into my inner thigh. He then pinned my arms above my head and slowly brought the knife closer, letting me see it in the light filtering in through the window.

I gasped and whimpered, pressing myself into the mattress, trying to be as small as possible. "Don't!"

He let the flat of the blade travel along my neck, causing me to hold absolutely still. "Don't pretend you didn't want this," He purred, his eyes bright as he slid the cold metal down one breast and low along my stomach, still not cutting me yet. "You could have fought harder before getting yourself into this... vulnerable position." He bent down to lap at my nipple and I shivered.

I felt the knife go lower, the tip trailing gently along the flesh of my inner thigh. I sucked in a breath as I felt the blade finally slice through my skin and blood trickled down my thigh. Vulpes tossed the knife onto the chair and pressed his lips to the small cut, sucking and licking it while holding my legs open to keep me exposed to him.

I grunted, trying to suppress a moan.

"Are you enjoying yourself darling?" He cooed, looking up at me, blood covering his grinning mouth.

I didn't say anything, just cautiously met his eyes with a fearful expression.

He chuckled, trailing kisses down my inner thigh and towards my knee. Then he began moving back the other way. My breathing hitched in anticipation as he got closer, slowing down and stopping just before he reached that sweet spot.

I whimpered.

"Do you want me to?" I could hear the grin in his voice. He was enjoying teasing me.

"Yes," I panted.

A low, breathy chuckle and then I felt his tongue flick over my clit once before he wrapped his lips around it, taking it into his mouth and nipping at it gently.

I moaned, louder than I expected.

I was rewarded by him slipping a finger into me.

I let out another moan and he began to move faster in me, adding another finger and gripping my thigh painfully with his free hand.

I was moaning freely now, clenching and unclenching my fists above my head. My breathing had become heavy pants and sharp gasps as I felt myself getting closer and closer to the edge, my fear almost dissipating as I enjoyed his touch and craved more of it.

My hips moved of their own accord as my back began to arch... And he stopped.

I opened my eyes, a disappointed whine rising in my throat.

Then I saw him unbuttoning his pants as he freed his hardened cock. He met my gaze and I saw that his eyes weren't teasing anymore. They were filled with raw undisguised hunger.

"Please," I whispered, holding his gaze.

I let out a loud cry as I felt him slam into me all at once. He then bent down to lean over me so that our chests were pressed together. I could feel his heartbeat pounding against mine and I wrapped my legs around him, urging him on.

He was propped up on his elbows and I could feel his hot breath tickling my ear as he began slowly rocking his hips against mine, once then twice.

I moaned, turning my head so that I could kiss his neck affectionately.

He stilled and wrapped an arm under me to grip my shoulder, slowly pressing himself in deeper.

"Vulpes..." I whimpered, shivering as he began nuzzling my neck, pulling his cock out an inch and then forcing it back in. I gasped, my hands testing the limits of my bonds.

He still didn't begin fucking me for real. He simply held still inside of me, trailing one hand down my side and lovingly stroking my hip as he kissed my neck.

I felt my need growing worse. My hips jerked against his, desperate to feel him fuck me.

He rewarded me by sliding his cock all the way beck out and then all the way back in but still he didn't pick up the pace or set a rhythm.

"Please!" I cried out but he silenced me by pressing his lips firmly to mine as his hips took off like a rocket.

I couldn't even cry out as I could scarcely breath, feeling his thrusts pick up pace.

Once as I had caught my breath, I opened my eyes to find him watching me, face inches away.

I stared into his eyes as he stared into mine, his hips roughly meeting mine and causing me to rock back and forth on the bed.

I was suddenly aware of the creaking of the mattress and the feeling of his abdominal muscles against mine as he pumped his hips rhythmically.

I closed my eyes and sighed, biting my lip and turning my head to the side.

I felt his forehead press against my shoulder and I brought my bound arms from above my head down around his neck, holding him as best as I could.

He gently pushed my hands back down and I felt him take the belt off and kiss me.

My freed hands moved to cup his face as he kissed me.

"Courier..." He whispered, his lips moving to my ear.

I gripped his shoulders. "Call me Six."

He let out a sound of acknowledgement and trailed one of his hands down my belly, his hand slipping in between us, not pausing his thrusting.

I bit my lip again as I felt his thumb press into my clit, sending a sparking throughout my whole body as he rubbed at the pearl of flesh.

"Vulpes..." I breathed, gasping as he picked up his speed. And just like that, I fell apart.

My nails dug into his shoulders as I came, hard. My back arched off the bed and he let out a strangled cry as my muscles clenched around him.

He hissed in a sharp breath and his thrusts became more forceful, making me cry out each time.

It wasn't long until he let out a grunt and I felt the hot rush inside me as he slowed his thrusting and rested his forehead against my shoulder before stopping all together, cock still twitching deliciously inside of me.

"Oh my god," I whispered, pressing my lips to his neck and tightening my arms around his neck.

He rumbled in my ear and bit my earlobe, wrapping his arms around me in response, holding me tightly against him.

After a long second passed of holding each other, he pulled himself out of me and got up so he could get a towel from the bathroom.

He returned quickly and tossed it to me, a faint smile on his face.

I returned the smile before sheepishly wiping myself off and tossing the towel onto the floor.

He climbed back onto the bed, tugging the covers over the both of us and curling his body protectively around mine. He wrapped an arm around my torso and I caught his hand, lacing my fingers through his. I felt his lips press to the back of my neck, and I relaxed and fell asleep, lying against him. I could feel his heart beating against my back.


	23. Chapter 23: Poison

**"Nobody", thank you! I actually have a plan on what I'm going to do next and how things are going to turn out! So I'm really excited!**

**Also, this is still going to be a Courier/Boone fanfic. I've figured out how I'm going to do it. I'm aiming for a whole shit ton of bad things happening one after the other and all sorts of feels and all that stuff. But I'm also aiming for a happy ending. So stay tuned, I guess.**

**Sorry I haven't been writing much. Things have been weird.**

* * *

Vulpes escorted me all the way to Vegas.

We stepped through the gates and I immediately headed into Mick and Ralph's, earning me an inquisitive narrowing of the eyes from Vulpes.

"Heeeey," I drawled out sheepishly, a grin pasted on my face.

Ralph turned around from where he was straightening something on a shelf. "How's it going?"

I shrugged and waved my hand dismissively. "Hey, you got any bandannas or scarves?"

An impish grin crossed his lips as he stared at the marks on my neck and chest. "Got too frisky?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Do you have any?"

He shook his head, chuckling. "Yeah, give me a sec." He strode over to a cabinet and began rummaging through it.

Vulpes made a disapproving sound quietly next to me.

I shivered as I felt his breath on my cheek.

"I like the way your neck looks with my marks on you," He murmured, with Ralph out of earshot. I noticed Mick sitting in a dark corner across the room, watching us.

"Cool," I grumbled, stepping away from him. "But I have work I have to do and I must look presentable."

He harrumphed disapprovingly as Ralph returned, a gray scarf in hand. "Three caps," He announced, proudly setting his find on the counter.

I reached into my bag, searching for the caps when I heard a distinct clattering on the counter.

My eyes jerked towards the sound and I saw Vulpes had dropped three caps on the counter and was staring at me with an unreadable expression.

"I have my own money, you know." I snapped, wrapping the scarf around my throat and yanking my bag off the counter and swinging it onto my shoulders.

Vulpes smiled softly, his eyes looking triumphant. He probably was just happy that he had pissed me off.

"Bye," I grunted, exiting the building quickly, Vulpes right behind me.

"I only meant to help you."

"I know," I muttered, not looking at him.

"You have something on your mind?"

I clenched my jaw and continued walking in silence for a while before turning to face him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Paying for your scarf?"

"No." I crossed my arms. "At the motel. Why did you have to do that? You're screwing everything up."

"I did it simply because I wanted to." He grinned savagely. "And I know you wanted to as well, so I don't understand what the problem is."

I clenched my hands into fists. "Look. The problem is, you would have done it even if I hadn't wanted you to. Thanks for saving me from those cazadores. Thanks for taking care of me. But I don't want to see you again. Not unless you leave the Legion. This is... too weird. I'm..." I took a deep breath. "You know I'm not going to help Caesar."

He blinked calmly. "Yes, I know that."

"So we're going to be on opposite sides and... and it's all just... weird. We can't do that ever again."

We had stepped through the Vegas gates and the Lucky 38 was looming over us.

I stopped walking. "It's not like you probably expected us to have a long, happy relationship or anything. So I doubt you'll mind much. Right?"

I finally met his gaze. His eyes were cold. "Of course. But I doubt I can avoid you completely. One day I may even have to kill you if you prove to be too much of a thorn in our side."

I nodded, taking note of the warning in his voice. "Yeah. Probably." I waited, hesitantly, wondering if he would say anymore.

"Too bad I can't just take you as my slave. Maybe one day, however." He grinned and bowed to me. "Vale," He whispered, turning and leaving the way we had come. I noticed how tense his shoulders were as he walked away.

I shivered at the abruptness of his departure, wondering where he was going exactly and what he planned to do and if he was going to tell Caesar. I watched as he left through the gates and took a deep breath before turning towards the Lucky 38.

When I reached the door, Victor's face blinked to life on the once normal securetron police unit.

"Your friends are at the Tops waiting for you. The boss wants to speak to you right away."

I blinked. "Okay..."

I narrowed my eyes and slowly opened the door, the empty casino greeting me.

The dust motes danced around me as I stepped into the elevator and pressed my back to the wall.

This was probably about me destroying the securetrons at the Fort.

My nerves danced as I watched the numbers on the display climb as the elevator rose steadily.

I thought quickly and pressed the button for the presidential suite. The elevator, thankfully stopped there, before it continued uppwards.

I stepped out and found ED-E on my desk, powered down. Right where I left him.

I booted him up and headed back to the elevator and stepped in once more.

When the doors opened, I blinked in the sunlight that shone through the large windows in the penthouse.

I took several slow steps forward before descending the stairs.

I didn't know what to expect and my eyes kept darting nervously towards the securetrons posted all over the penthouse.

My eyes glanced over the terminal on the wall that House had specifically told me, near when I first met him, not to touch.

I dragged my eyes away and turned my body so that I was facing the large monitor. It instantly flicked to life.

"I see you finally decided to grace me with your presence."

I shifted my weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Yeah. I'm here. Sorry your plan didn't get the Legion to kill me like you probably hoped."

"Do you realize exactly what you've done, destroying my securetrons like that?! I had planned to protect the area with them, however, you have made that impossible and now, if the Legion or the NCR decide to go against me... I'm afraid... I can't let you live. You know too much and obviously cannot be trusted."

"Sorry..." I muttered. "But I didn't have much of a choice. I was right in the fox den. They would have happily ripped me to pieces and I'm not going to put my life on the line for some classist, narcissistic, money grubber like you."

"Vegas could have been a..."

I stopped listening. My mind kept flitting back to the lavishness of the strip and the extreme poverty outside. I took several steps backwards, calculating my actions as I pretended to listen. I kept my face angled towards the monitor, taking a deep breath and counting to three.

I spun on my heel and immediately booted up the wall-mounted computer, skipping through the status screens and forcing them to exit before they loaded.

One option caught my eye. Open doors.

I pressed it, ducking as I heard firing from behind me and ED-E's answering fire.

I squeezed through the space that had opened up in the wall as soon as there was a gap wide enough for me. I noticed an elevator and jabbed the button as more shots rang out, some hitting my left leg, the same leg that had been stabbed by the cazador.

Grunting, I turned to face the doorway where two securetrons were taking aim. I ducked behind a large flowerpot, clutching my leg.

The ding of the elevator jerked me back to reality and I scrambled up, ignoring the pain in my muscles as I threw myself into the elevator and jabbed the "door close" button. Sighing, I leaned my weight into the wall, balancing only on my right leg. Warm trickles of blood ran down my leg and into my boot.

ED-E had made it in with me and I sighed, relieved. "Thanks, buddy."

The elevator dinged again and I pulled out my gun, ready if there were more securetrons. But there was only silence.

I limped cautiously onto a catwalk towards another computer.

"Shit," I whispered. "Where am I?"

I had hoped to find a server that was running House's personality and unplug it.

I checked the terminal, hoping it could tell me something.

Then I saw it. "Open Antechamber."

Furrowing my brows, I pressed it.

"WARNING. RISK OF MICROBIAL INFECTION. PROCEED?"

I hesitated, realization slowly dawning on me. I had always thought that House was an AI.

I hit the enter key.

A loud hiss filled the room and I glanced up in surprise to see a machine on the other end of the room letting out a cloud of mist.

I limped over, curious.

What I saw looked nothing like what I had expected.

House's body was withered and his legs dangled uselessly from where he was suspended.

"You...!" He spat, his mouth barely able to form the words and his vocal cords straining after centuries of not being used. "You greedy... uncivilized... wastelander! You people are nothing more than savages!"

I pressed my lips into a thin line and didn't say anything as I raised my gun.

I fired.

* * *

When I had cleaned myself up, I stared up at the staircase, and my leg throbbed just thinking about climbing it.

"You think you can be my crutch?" I mumbled, grateful when ED-E beeped happily and moved along side me. I wrapped my arm around him and he assisted me out of the casino.

People stared as I made my way awkwardly to the Tops. I had changed into a clean dress I had found and the bandages on my leg were obvious.

I was only able to do so much about my leg with the supplies I had.

ED-E was half carrying me as we entered the casino.

"Hey hey. Welcome to the Tops Hotel and..." Swank stopped as he recognized me. "Well hot damn."

He pressed a button and spoke into a microphone.

"Benny, she's here." He stepped around the counter and helped me maneuver over to the elevator, despite my protests.

"Not even going to take my weapons?" I grunted as we waited for the elevator to arrive.

"From what I hear, you're practically one of us."

I pursed my lips. "And what exactly have you heard?"

Swank shook his head, his arm around my waist making me uncomfortable.

"Can I stand on my own please?" I growled, gripping ED-E as I pulled myself away from him. "I didn't need your help in the first place."

He blinked at me. "Sorry. I was just trying to... be nice..."

"Today's been one hell of a day." I said as if it excused my behavior, although my voice didn't sound at all apologetic.

The elevator opened and I saw Benny himself, standing before me, his arms crossed.

Swank mumbled something and scurried away, leaving us alone.

"Hi," I mumbled lamely, hopping forward, still using ED-E for support.

A low chuckle was Benny's only greeting as he moved over to make room for me and the bot.

"I'm not sure I even want to know what happened to you, but I'm going to ask anyway."

I bit my cheek as he pressed a button and the doors slid closed. "I..." I swallowed thickly. "I... just... I just killed House."

There was a beat of silence. "What?" His voice came out louder than I had expected and I flinched. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. Just... you actually did? You finally got rid of that ancient pile of dust?"

"That's actually an accurate description."

"Okay, baby, you have to tell me everything. Can I get you a drink?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "That'd actually be great. Where are my friends? Victor said..."

"They've all got their own rooms. When House kicked them out, I figured that I owed it to you to help them out."

I nodded, my mind still spinning. "Thank you."

"Hey, you saved my life."

I shrugged. "Hey... don't... don't tell anyone about House just yet. We need to figure this out."

"Yeah, anything for you baby."

He slung and arm around my waist as we reached the designated floor.

He led me to his suite and a wave of nostalgia washed over me and I chuckled.

"Enlighten me." He said, his voice gentle.

"Just... last time I was here was..."

This time he chuckled. "Don't think you're in any shape for another round any time soon."

I nodded, an uneasy grin on my face. He didn't think that we were...?

He opened the door and I was met by the faces of... everyone.

Veronica, Cass, and Arcade were sitting together on a couch and Raul was on the couch across from them.

Lilly was too big for any of the chairs so she was standing against a wall.

Finally my eyes found Boone. He was leaning against the wall in a dark corner, his eyes taking in everything. His body language said he was relaxed, but I could tell from the tension in his jaw that he was completely alert.

"Little Jimmy!" Lilly growled. "I was so worried."

"Sorry grandma," I muttered, hobbling over to the couch to seat myself next to Raul. Benny sat next to me.

"You alright, boss?" The ghoul's voice always comforted me, no matter how sarcastic he always was.

"I've been better."

"Can I a look at your leg?" Arcade stepped forward.

I nodded. "I tried patching it up, but I didn't have much with me. I was just trying to get here. I didn't know what House meant exactly when he said you were here. I still don't know exactly what happened."

"I'm flattered you were worried about us." Cass muttered, her eyes narrowed. "We were worried about you."

"Seriously," Veronica whined. "You were gone for over a week. We didn't know where you were or if you were okay or anything. Then Benny comes back after House kicked us out..."

"And we find out you were at the Fort, talking with Caesar and travelling with the leader of the Fumentarii." Boone's tone sent shivers down my spine.

"Look," I said, wincing as Arcade removed the bandages from my leg. "I know, I have a lot to explain. But don't worry."

I took a deep breath, nervous now that everyone was watching me.

"I think we should allow the NCR to annex the area."

"What?" Benny shouted, turning to face me, his expression bewildered.

"Hear me out." I growled coldly. "Everything... There's been so much that has happened and I just... House can't protect this place. The Legion is too big of a threat, and I was forced to destroy the securetron army. Although, law enforcement that kills anyone for any crime isn't effective to have in a city anyways, so the securetron has got to go anyhow."

Benny made a noise of disapproval, but I continued talking, my voice growing stronger.

"The NCR might be able to help this place out. We definitely don't want to fall under Legion control. I got the sense that Caesar is planning something and he has a _lot_ of soldiers. You could still keep your foot in the door and be a leader here in the city if you want, Benny, but the NCR would have the final say. We have to work together. Especially since the NCR is spread so thin and our 'forces' are limited. We need each other."

I noticed Boone had relaxed, his eyes staring calmly at me while I spoke.

"Have you been taking Med-x recreationally?" Arcade asked as he examined my leg.

I glanced down at him in surprise. "What? No. Why?"

"The edges of these wounds are a little bit yellow and silvery and the blood is somewhat frothy. That wouldn't happen if you took just a bit of Med-x when you got shot, but... your body is reacting as if you're having a Med-x toxic reaction."

"I haven't taken that much. I don't know how much Ada gave me when I got stabbed by a cazador, but, well, it took me a bit to recover. I was unconscious for most of it."

"You wouldn't need Med-x for a cazador sting because after a while, your whole body goes numb anyway."

I blinked, confused. "Well, she doesn't seem to be that great of a doctor anyway."

"You would have had to have taken it consecutively every day for a week for it to be reacting like this."

I stared, confused. "I didn't..."

"You think it was that snake you were traveling with?" Cass asked.

"I..."

"Did you feel sleepy all the time?" Arcade interrupted. "Did you get headaches and feel dizzy?"

I froze. "Yeah..."

I watched as everyone exchanged glances.

"You're going to need to detox for a bit." Arcade ordered. "This reaction isn't good. No wonder you weren't reacting to the pain of getting shot as much as you should have. If you're body's already behaving this way, the levels of Med-x in your blood could be dangerous. This stuff stays in your system for a while."

My mind swam, thinking back to Vulpes letting me sleep every time we took a rest. "Could he have drugged my food?"

"Yeah," Arcade said grimly.

"You gotta be more careful, boss," Raul said, placing a hand on my back as I buried my face in my hands.

"You should have traveled back with me," Benny added casually, but I could sense a bit of worry in his tone.

"Why did you travel with him in the first place?" Boone growled.

"Do you think that when you were... unconscious... that he...?" Veronica asked, her voice high.

"Oh my god. Can I fucking breathe?" I spat, rising to my feet, not caring that Arcade wasn't finished with my leg.

I ignored the blonde's protests and locked myself in the bathroom, flipping the lid closed on the toiled and sitting myself down while trying to even my breaths and calm my thoughts.

It wasn't really that surprising. I wish that I had been smarter to have noticed what Vulpes had been doing to my food.

I kicked myself for trusting him. Then my mind reeled back to when he took my guns to be fixed. All of them. And my knife had gone missing too.

Holy shit.

I kicked the tub with my good leg, the loud sound making me feel a little better.

He had said, _"I'm sorry. This is my fault."_

My guns had jammed and I had been injured. It _had_ been his fault.

Holy shit.

"Six?" It was Cass's voice.

"Give me a minute, please." My voice sounded pathetic, even to my own ears.

I took a deep breath and stood, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

I should have noticed the signs. After all that I had learned from Doc Mitchel... I hadn't learned much about drugs but...

I pulled the scarf down and felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I saw the marks Vulpes had left when he had latched onto my neck like a leech.

I tucked the scarf back in place and opened the door.


End file.
